A Fear of Dragons Can't Last Forever
by ThisLittleDeath
Summary: The battle well-concluded, the heroes victorious. But a threat lingers. The heirs and friends prepare for college, but someone/thing prepares for them. Can they triumph over yet another threat and establish lasting peace? Picks up where Dragon Heir ends.
1. Into the Ghyll

**The Story continues! Picks up at the end of Dragon Heir ~ Spoilers contained if you haven't finished the series. Please Read and Review!**

"Jack! Hurry up! You're going to miss your flight!"

The bellowing voice of Jack's mother, Becka, rose up the stairs where Jack was, at this moment, trying to tear himself away from his beloved Shadowslayer – at least for the flight anyway. Her voice shook him from his absorption and he grabbed his bag and Shadowslayer's case and ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"I'm coming, mom," Jack called.

He slowed as he reached the kitchen and saw more faces than he expected.

At the sight of Ellen, his face relaxed into a smile. More now than ever, her presence in his life was sweet and strengthening, like breathing. After almost losing her in the Siege of Trinity, Jack took the time to memorize her features every time he looked at her. Her short brown hair had grown a bit over the summer and her skin was glowing with tan. The angry red lines of scars across her arms and chest had dimmed a bit and were nearly hidden now. She held herself tall and straight, proudly, though, when she moved he noticed she held her arms stiffly at her sides – her ribs must still pain her.

As he was dissecting her every movement, he heard someone clear his throat, and he looked up.

Next to Ellen stood Seph, one eyebrow raised as if to say, "she's OK lover-boy, now stop staring!" Jack almost laughed. Once he had looked on Seph with suspicion, but throughout the course of last year, that suspicion had faded into respect. But the Seph he knew had been remade since the Lady had healed him and since the end of the siege had given him leave to spend time with Madison down in Coalton County. Instead of brooding and dangerous, Seph now practically radiated happiness and ease. As Jack looked, Madison bounded into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Seph, planting a firm kiss on his cheek.

Since becoming the Dragon Heir, Madison, too, had been remade. She felt a lightness that she'd never felt before, optimistic in a way she'd never been. She no longer felt her past as an anchor, restraining her, restricting her to that role of small town girl. She now felt that her life could be whatever she wanted. She'd found summer camps for her brother and her sister, not wanting to leave them with her mother while she was out of the country. They'd gone happily, anxious to leave the mountain. It had helped that they had been horseback riding camps.

Her relationship with Seph had changed too. Though the Lady had revealed their true feelings to each other, the two had taken a little time afterward to really understand what loving each other might mean. Seph's legendary patience won her over and she found herself loosening up on trying to shoulder the whole world herself. Neither of them could remember a time they were so happy or had such a good friend.

Her cheeks blushed when she looked up to find everyone looking at her. Trying to diffuse the tension, she said, "Well now, Jack's finally up," she winked at him, "Guess we're ready to go then."

They all grunted in approval and headed out to the car. Trailing the group, Jack took a private moment to say Hi to Ellen. "How're you feeling?" he said softly, pulling her close to him.

Annoyance contorted her face. She hated being taken care of and Jack had been annoying attentive to her every move since the battle. "I'm _fine_," she said. "You know, why don't you and I skip the trip to the Ghyll and go at with Waymaker and Shadowslayer? I'll prove to you that I can kick your butt any day!"

Jack smiled a small smile before wrapping his strong hand behind Ellen's head and kissing her firmly. Breaking the kiss, pulling inches away from her lips, Jack formed a crooked smile, "Any day," he said. And the kissing turned into a surreptitious punching match all the way to the airport.

Outside the airport they met up with Will Childers and Harmon Fitch, bags in hand. Will, looking very much like a clean-cut lineman, and Fitch, looking like an urban guerilla in bright orange camo, waved as the car pulled up and the assorted heirs piled out.

"Off to the Ghyll," Fitch crowed, smiling, "I've gotta say, I can't help but think it's _gotta_ go better than the _last_ time we were there, eh Will?"

Will laughed, but Jack swallowed. He didn't particularly like to dwell on the thoughts of the last time he'd been at Raven's Ghyll, now Dragon's Ghyll. While the ending was good, it still wasn't memories he cared to relive.

Seph spoke up, "Don't worry guys, the Ghyll is _under new management_, shall we say." He laughed. "Hastings- I mean, my dad, said that the place is amazing, full of hidden passageways, jewels and sefas that are hundreds, if not thousands of years old, and beautiful grounds." He looked at Madison for this last part. "I hope you brought your pastels," he added playfully.

She smiled, "You _did_ promise to sit for me some more. I'll bet Sara, my art teacher, would _love_ some new landscapes and portraits."

Seph heaved a huge fake sigh, pretending to tire of sitting for Madison, when, in fact, he loved any and every second he spent with her. Plus, after he sat for her, they always took time to go exploring the woods, or curl up in the sun.

The six travelers poured into the airport, ready for a new adventure with _hopefully_ a great deal _less_ danger than they were used to. It was the summer before they all went their separate ways for college, and they'd decided to spend a chunk of it in Europe, catching up with Linda and Hastings in Dragon's Ghyll castle.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, someone else had other plans for the summer.

**Duh Duh Duh!!! More to follow!**


	2. A Turn of Phrase

**Ok - Just a short little chapter. Don't worry, longer chapters are in the works. Thanks for all the reviews!! I'll try to keep the chapters pumping out!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything ~ belongs to Chima. **

**Enjoy!! Please Review!**

Part Two: A Turn of Phrase

Jessamine Longbranch peered over the top of her dark glasses at the waitress in some tiny, dingy, diner in a rundown mid-west town south of Trinity. The waitress was young and distinctly southern by her accent. She smiled, a sweet look that lit up her face. Jessamine Longbranch hated her immediately.

'Mornin' ma'am," the waitress chimed, "What can I get for you today?"

Jessamine rolled her eyes and suppressed an urge to gag before muttering, "Coffee. Two creams. No sugar."

The girl wrote furiously, and without looking up, asked, "Is that all? You know, we have a dee-licious assortment of muffins – they go great with coffee."

When she did look up, the scowl on Jessamine's face nearly knocked her on her butt. She smiled tentatively anyway, but then backed up to leave. As she walked away, Jessamine heard her mumble to herself, "City-folk, they just don't know the polite way to treat a person."

Jessamine's irritation with the girl melted as the last three words of her mumble sent a shock wave of memory through her. The phrase had caught her off guard the night that Madison Moss had waltzed into her tent outside of Trinity. She remembered smiling at the girl's quaint colloquialism. But now, the mere memory of that night haunted her. She braced herself against the sticky tabletop to keep herself from falling to the floor.

Ever since the Dragon has stolen away her weirstone, Jessamine had suffered and struggled through the non-magic world. One might imagine that, through her hardship, Jessamine might have learned humility and the error of her indulgent and selfish lifestyle, but no. Instead, Jessamine wandered the countryside – trying to lay low, hiding from any wizards or underguilds that might take it upon themselves to take revenge against her – and growing more and more bitter as she mourned her unfair state and dreamed of finding the Dragon and getting her stone back.

Jessamine shivered as she thought of the Dragon. So shimmery, so powerful, so – terrifying. The thought of being in its presence again turned her blood to ice. A _Dragon_. She'd spent the near 200 years of her life wishing to meet a Dragon but not really believing that they existed. But then, _Hastings_, she winced internally at the name, and his brat son and his upstart friends just _happened_ upon a Dragon and convinced it to support them! ARGH! She slammed her fist against the table. What rotten luck.

"If _I_ had found the dragon first," she mused to herself, "I could have convinced her to follow _me_." Her smile grew pronounced as she imagined ordering the Dragon to remove the weirstones of all of her enemies. "Then _I _could be the all-powerful. _I_ the giver and taker of power." She almost laughed aloud with greed and vindictive pleasure.

She was jolted out of her daydream as the server returned with her coffee. The girl looked much less animated than before – she'd learned her lesson. She laid the check alongside the coffee and said, "There you go. You go on home and have a nice day now."

Jessamine's eyes widened as yet another of the girl's phrases brought back a startling memory – the Dragon's final words to the assembled wizards – "You all better go on home and preach to your friends…" Something like that… Jessamine struggled for the exact words, but she was sure that the Dragon's turn of phrase shared the same distinctive southern lilt as this waitress.

A distinctive southern lilt she'd heard before.

An evil grin started to form on Jessamine's lips as a plan began to form itself in her mind. They'd been led to believe the girl was dead… but was she? What _was_ her power that had allowed to her vanquish Leicester at Second Sister… and that boy, Haley, had spoke of her ability to handle the Dragonheart… had that been a ruse too?

There were too many questions to be answered in the dingy diner, but Jessamine, despite her distaste for anything 'rustic' (she desperately missed her fabrics and jewels and fine foods, but of course she couldn't return to her palace where every lower wizard, servant, or assassin of the Red Rose would be vying to cut her throat) found herself planning to extend her stay in the mid-west.

Jessamine sat smiling into her coffee for a few more minutes, savoring the feeling of being back in the game and imagining the feeling of getting back her power and being free of non-magic squalor, before leaving the diner.

Engrossed in her daydream, she didn't notice the dark figure who'd been watching her from across the diner. After she left, he rose and, throwing a few dollars down on the table, followed her out into the sultry summer heat.


	3. Family Reunion

**Thanks for all the Reviews ~ Hope you enjoy it!**

Part 3: Family Reunion

Hastings and Linda had sent a car to pick up their guests at the airport. Car wasn't the right word, Madison thought, it was more like a sparkling shiny sheet of metal molded into the shape of a car. She couldn't discern the make or model, but she had to shield her eyes against the glare off the car's shiny surface. She resisted the urge to stop and stare, and followed the rest of the gang into the car.

Once inside, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the window. The rolling hills and bright greens and blues of the earth and sky begged her to paint them. She made a mental note to take pictures of the drive on the way back so she could paint them when she got home.

Seph enjoyed the view as well, but mostly he just watched Madison's avid face soaking up the scenery and her hands, twitching in her lap – wishing she was painting most likely.

After an hour or more of driving, the car finally pulled up to a location near the Ghyll – the tourist entrance so to speak. And there, waiting by yet another car to take them the rest of the way to the castle were none other than Leander Hastings and Linda Downey, wizard and enchanter arm in arm.

The two had spent a great deal of quality time alone since taking control of the Ghyll and had found that they were finally fighting on the same side. The pain that had pierced Linda's heart since they day she gave up Lee and then Seph had begun to heal and she found herself believing in love again. Leander couldn't believe the change his life had taken. He'd been in the business of revenge for so long, he never thought he'd be without that constant ache of his lost family. He was finding that he could finally keep that promise to Carrie – to leave his past behind and embrace his future. He didn't understand how it could be possible to have all the things he'd ever wanted. After so many years of fighting, Lee finally felt peace.

And he knew a huge part of that peace was thanks to one Madison Moss, who had saved his son while he'd been away.

The heirs climbed out of their car and suddenly the quiet country air was full of shouted 'hellos' and 'welcomes' and hugs and kisses all around. Among the hugs, the proud parents found a moment to wrap Seph in their arms. They all knew longer speeches and catching up would take place later, but Linda couldn't help but whisper into Seph's ear, "I'm so proud of you."

Once inside the castle, after tours and room assignments, the extended family and friends split up to do some exploring on their own. Will and Fitch went with Jack and Ellen to check out the weapons array in the castle cellar. Hastings was thrilled to show it off. Seph and Madison were eager to check out the gardens, and invited Linda to come along with them. She smiled, kissed her son on the forehead, and told the pair to go on ahead without her – she'd catch up in a bit.

As the pair left, hand in hand, Linda sighed deeply. Her family was whole.

Seph and Maddie found a nice sunny spot on the edge of the garden between the flowing, flowering vines and the sparkling water of a crystal stream. Maddie reached in her bag to pull out her pastels, but Seph's hand stopped her.

She raised confused eyes to his face. Her expression melted into a smile when she saw the adorable, but slightly wicked glint in Seph's eyes. She pushed her bag aside, and curled up into Seph's open arms. They lay on the soft grass along the bank, looking up into the blue sky. After a while, Seph rose up on one elbow, and looked down into Maddie's face. The sweet smile was gone now, replaced by concern.

"So I know you said you didn't want to talk about magic on vacation," Seph began rapidly, "But I was just wondering, worrying really… how're you doing?" he finished softly.

Madison wanted to be annoyed, but the sincerity of Seph's worry stopped her. She couldn't blame him really. Since they'd started working with her new powers, Maddie had been experiencing the assorted growing pains of suddenly inheriting a power that she didn't understand nor had any idea how to use. She'd had headaches, set numerous things on fire, and struggled with trying harness her powers, or dissipate them safely rather than have them boil up inside of her and explode out unwanted. Seph had been a great teacher so far. He had lived some of the same things, so he knew what she was going through. But there were some things he didn't understand and couldn't help her with.

For instance, Seph and Maddie had pretty much figured out how Maddie can control the shift from girl, to shining Lady, to Dragon, and they had figured out how to help Maddie contain and control her power so that she wasn't sending out a beacon of power for any and all weir to follow. But, lately, Maddie had been sensing that there were more things to being the Dragon heir than she had originally thought.

Every once and a while, Maddie would get flashes of images of wizards, or seers, or sorcerers around the world. She would suddenly feel their essence and see their faces, but before she could make up why she was seeing them, the vision would disappear. She didn't know what it meant, and she couldn't seem to control it, and, as much as she would have liked to keep it to herself, she knew that to keep it from Seph would be dishonest. So she told him. Naturally he worried.

And that wasn't all. Maddie had been getting these feelings when she was in the Dragon form that there were limitless possibilities of what she could do. Seph had warned her not to take off too far in the Dragon – what if someone saw her? But, deep down, she knew she could fly and she was desperate to try it. Maybe here, in the Ghyll, Seph would think its safe enough. As the Dragon, she could feel the heartbeat of the earth, and hear the whispering of the winds, the gurgling of far distant streams. She felt fire in the air, waiting for her to pluck it out. She felt the pulse of the weirstones all around the world, like a beaded necklace, all interconnected.

And there were other things, just rumblings in her consciousness that unsettled Maddie. Something was up. Whether it was inside of her or in the outside world, she didn't know, but she was troubled.

And Seph could tell.

Maddie sighed. "I'm ok, really. No headaches today, and no out of control magic." She tried a half-hearted smile, "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this, you know."

Seph smiled, "You're doing great, really. That's not what I meant. I just…" he trailed off, looking off into the distance, "I just can't believe that it's really over. I mean, they left Trinity, just like that. I keep thinking that if anyone _ever_ figured out who you are, you'd be in danger… just like the last Dragon."

He turned back to Maddie, his green eyes glossy as the hint of tears began to well. "I can't let that happen to you. I _won't._"

Maddie curled herself tighter into Seph's arms, trying to comfort him. With her face in the crook of his neck, she whispered. "I know. Don't worry. We'll take care of each other. We'll be safe together."

And they sat, Seph holding Madison in his arms, his hand clutching the back of her head; rocking and praying that the danger Seph feared would never come to pass.


	4. Knowing

**The Plot Thickens! Thanks for the great reviews! Enjoy!**

Part 4: Knowing

Madison sat alone in the room she shared with Ellen. It was enormous. With two queen-sized four-poster beds, mirrored vanities, lush velvet drapes, and a crystal chandelier, the room was suited for royalty. Madison cringed at the thought that it had been originally used by visiting Red Rose and White Rose dignitaries for The Game. She tried to push the thought out of her mind as she stared at her own reflection in the mirror. Though her eyes were on her reflection, her mind was elsewhere.

Madison's mind wandered the castle. Jack and Ellen were in the library; Madison could feel the spark of their weirstones as the warriors danced a deadly pas-de-deux, their blades singing and their hearts calling to each other.

Madison had recently developed the ability to sense those close to her, wherever they were, whether they had weirstones or not. She'd always been able to feel the pull of the weirstones, the gifts of her Dragon predecessor, but she'd recently been able to sense more. Aside from the earth and sky, fire and water, she'd developed a sense of living things, particularly those with whom she was close. She'd nearly passed out from shock when she realized she could sense Will and Fitch as well as all the rest.

She saw them in her minds eye in colors. Maybe it was the artist in her; the colors were vibrant flames, sparks, and smudges of reds and blues, greens and golds.

Jack was red, bright and brilliant like his hair. His essence was warm when content, hellfire when provoked. Ellen was cooler. Earth tones of brown and green, her essence was steady, powerful, and warm like a sunlit meadow. She was the perfect complement to Jack's fire and the two swirled in a sun-dappled haze as they connected, in battle, in conversation, in love.

Madison watched as their duel in the library devolved into a wrestling match, and then evolved into a passionate embrace. In her mind's eye, Madison saw them, Jack had pinned Ellen, (or else Ellen had let him) and he was now brushing a stray hair from her eyes. The warriors smiled and Jack bent down to lay a soft kiss on Ellen's lips.

Madison shook her head, hoping to stop her impromptu eavesdropping on their private moment. While her new power made her feel more connected to the world around her, it also made her feel a bit nosy. She'd decided to keep this aspect of her new powers a secret, even from Seph. She didn't think her new friends would take too kindly to her knowing their business all the time. Besides, she didn't abuse her power and she usually tried to block it out anyway. Of course, it did have its benefits.

For instance, Madison knew that Linda, Will, and Fitch were currently sitting around the kitchen table looking at the album of photos Fitch had taken during the siege. The boys were filling Linda in on every detail of the siege and how her son and family had saved the day.

In Madison's vision, Linda was all silvers and golds, a swirling spiral like melted metals. Will was blue, strong and pure. And Fitch was bright, a yellow-orange that shown like a beacon.

Of all the hues, Seph's was her favorite. She could pick him out of a crowd and feel his presence from miles away. Seph was all greens and golds, vibrant flames of emerald and gold fire. His essence burned brighter and stronger than any other.

As she sat alone in her room, Madison knew that he and Mr. Hastings were engaged in a heated debate in front of a roaring fire in the sitting room. Hastings was green, like Seph, but darker, like a shaded pond, deep and mysterious. She reached out with her mind, listening, although she was pretty sure she knew the gist of the argument already.

While everyone was busy enjoying the victory at Trinity, Hastings was already worrying about how to make it stick.

"No," she heard Seph's raised voice, "I won't expose her like that. It's too dangerous. If they know she's alive, wizards will be lining up to kill her, capture her, or find some other way to use her or turn her. We have to find a way to do this without exposing Madison."

Hastings rubbed his forehead. "I know, Seph," Hasting's voice sounded tired. "I don't want to put Madison in danger either, but she's a part of this now. You can't expect to keep her out of it forever."

"She's a part of it, yes, but she's not about to step up and try to rule the guilds. You know she doesn't want that," Seph argued.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind…" Hasting countered.

As father and son argued and debated the various ways to ensure peace and keep Madison safe, Madison left her solitude to join Will, Fitch, and Linda in the kitchen. She was tired of virtual company and needed to relish the victory a little bit longer before diving into the uncertainty ahead.

Across the ocean, Jessamine Longbranch was looking into the uncertainty ahead with a greedy sense of hope, like a cat grinning at a nest full of baby birds.

Dr. Longbranch smiled as she drove back down Booker Mountain to her motel room in the town center of Coal Grove. She peered in the rearview mirror at a painting she'd managed to con off the simple woman, Madison Moss' mother. She nearly cackled with delight. She was pleased to find that her loss of magic hadn't affected her ability to manipulate people and get what she needed.

It had been too simple, really. She thought back, remembering how the woman had answered the door looking disheveled, that other side of pretty that some women got as their bodies aged but they steadfastly refused to give up girlish styles. She opened the door only a crack, but when she saw the lavishly dressed woman on the porch, she threw the door wide open.

With a smile that clearly said, "as long as you pay you can have whatever you want," Carlene had said, "Afternoon, ma'am, what can I do for ya?"

Jessamine had smiled back; this was a territory she was very familiar with. "Actually," she said, "I am an art dealer from Chicago and I was informed that a young artist lives here? One Madison Moss?"

Carlene nearly choked, "Why yes! That's my daughter, she's the artist."

"Well," Jessamine had continued smoothly, "I was hoping to see some of her work, perhaps interest her in selling a few." She let the last word linger, enticing Carlene to let her in.

"Well," Carlene nearly stuttered, "Madison is out of town at the moment, but I'd be happy to show you some of her work, I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Carlene had smiled like kid raiding the cookie jar, and Jessamine found herself in Madison's room. In the end, she bought one painting of a large, ovular stone with a fiery center, like an opal, radiating beacons of light on all sides. She'd never seen it, but she instantly knew the stone. _The Dragonheart_, she was positive. Along with that, she stole a small picture that was taped to the wall next to her bed – a picture of Madison and Seph McCauley. It was recent. The date in the corner read only a month or so after the siege had ended. But that was only part of why she took the picture. The Madison that Jessamine saw in that picture looked distinctly different from the girl she met in her tent. This girl glowed subtly, seeming to glitter in the sunlight.

Jessamine parked her car outside of her motel room and took the picture out of her purse. She examined it in the fading light. There was definitely something different about this girl. Could it be her? Could she be the Dragon? Jessamine couldn't quite believe it, but she couldn't deny the fact that 1) Madison Moss was said to have died the night of the siege, and yet, she was very much alive, 2) the photo clearly shows a girl of immense power that practically emanates out of her very skin, and 3) the girl had a known link to the Dragonheart and even had paintings of it in her room. Jessamine couldn't really imagine it, but the facts were pretty conclusive. Madison Moss was the Dragon.

Still dazed by the enormity of her revelation, Jessamine didn't notice that the motel room light she'd turned off when she left was now on. She opened the door, still lost in thought, and didn't notice the figure in the corner until she found herself crumbled to the floor, unable to move.

"An immobilization charm," she thought, "Damn."

**Cliffhanger again, I know! Don't worry, there's more to come! Please Review!**


	5. Complications

**Ok, so I couldn't wait. Chapter is aptly named. Enjoy! There's more to come!**

**Please review!**

Part Five: Complications

Propped up in ratty old chair in her motel room, Jessamine Longbranch looked up into the face of her attacker with a deep and sincere wave of terror. Her mind raced furiously, searching for any possible way out of what was sure to be her untimely demise. She tried to keep the terror off her face, but her voice gave her away as soon as she spoke.

"S-s-s-simon P-p-paige," she said. "What a nice s-s-surprise." She faked a smile, but knew she wasn't fooling anyone. Normally, she would have felt no fear in the presence of an _inferior_ wizard such as Paige, but unarmed as she was, she knew he could kill her in a second. And that he likely would.

"Jess," Paige smiled, grinning like a Cheshire cat, "It's been awhile."

Jessamine kept a terrified silence. She remembered the last time she'd seen Paige, and was desperately hoping that he did not.

"The last time I saw you," Paige continued smoothly, as Jessamine's hopes faded, "I believe," he opened the neck of his shirt to reveal a deep scar from his neck to the center of his chest, "you gave me _this_."

Jessamine looked sheepish – and a little nauseated, "Well, you know what they say," she mumbled, "a woman scorned…"

Paige laughed. "Actually, if I remember correctly, _Jess_, it was _you_ that seduced _me_, and then, when I wouldn't give up information about our warrior, well… you remember the rest, I'm sure."

Jessamine was beyond frightened now. If she hadn't been immobilized, she would have been shaking uncontrollably.

Paige paced the room, "I've been looking forward to having some _alone_ time with you again for quite some time now," he mused. "Of course, you've never been an easy woman to get close to. Wasn't I surprised to hear that after the disastrous siege at Trinity you never returned to your palace on the Thames."

Paige stared intently at Jessamine now, "Of course, things are _different_ now, aren't they?" he added, condescendingly.

"Guess I don't really _need_ this, do I?" Paige said. He removed the immobilization charm, and feeling flooded back into Jessamine's limbs. As soon as she could stand, she jumped from her chair and raced toward the door.

"Uh uh uh!" Paige chided, slamming Jess to the floor with a charm. "Now, that's not very nice. You have to play along," he nearly snarled.

Tears filled Jessamine's eyes, a combination of the blow to her head and the terror that had turned into deadly certainty that her life was at an end.

She found her voice, "Simon, please. Things don't have to be like this between us. You don't have to do this," she nearly begged.

"Well," Paige blustered, "It is certainly less gratifying killing an Anaweir than a _worthy_ opponent, but in your case, I'm willing to take the trade." He raised his hands to deliver the killing blow.

Jessamine screeched, "Wait! I can help you! I can get you the Dragon! I know who she is!!"

Paige was startled by Jessamine's shouted confession enough to drop his hands. "She?" he asked.

Jessamine nodded, breathing heavily.

"Well," Paige said, eyeing Jessamine speculatively, "That has saved your life – for a few more seconds at least. Speak. What is it you think _you_ can offer _me?_"

Jessamine sat up, contemplating the best way to reveal her information so as to keep her heart beating a little bit longer.

Back in the Ghyll, Ellen was paging through Jack's weirbook. He and the rest of the boys had gone out for the afternoon, exploring some part of the grounds, but Ellen had opted for some quiet time in the library, alone. Jack had given her leave to look at his weirbook whenever she wanted, but he didn't know that she did so far more often than he imagined. It wasn't that she was trying to learn his secrets or find his weaknesses, nothing like that.

Ellen stared at the genealogy page for hours, longing for her own weirbook and pretending that the names she didn't know were names on her own family tree. In her mind, she'd create faces for the names and even little back stories – inventing a family history for a family she never had and would never know. She never voiced this longing to Jack though, or anyone for that matter.

It wasn't that she wasn't happy with her new family – her friends, Jack, Aunt Linda and Mr. Hastings, and Becka – it was just hard to ignore that gaping hole in her heart where her past and her family had been stolen away.

She dreamed of getting her weirbook back. She figured that someone in the White Rose had it – Paige most likely. But then again, he could have thrown it out after the aborted tournament nearly four years ago. Or maybe it was left with the D'Orsays, or some other council member picked it up after the mayhem. She knew wherever it was, it was whole – weirbooks cannot be destroyed – but that didn't really help when she didn't know where to search for it.

Alone in the library, she let her sadness claim her. She sank into a plush armchair and let the tears fall until she had no more.

She was fast asleep, exhausted from grief, curled up like a cat, Jack's weirbook under her arm, when Aunt Linda came into check on her a few hours later. Linda gazed at the sleeping warrior. Her eyes were swollen and red and her puffy cheeks were lined with drying tears. With Jack's weirbook tucked under her arm, Linda didn't have to try too hard to imagine what might have made Ellen cry. She grabbed a blanket from a nearby loveseat and draped it over the sleeping girl, all the while humming a sweet tune to calm her and give her pleasant dreams.

As Linda headed back upstairs, she was already working on the problem of finding Ellen's lost link to her family.

In the kitchen, she ran into Fitch, back from the boys' outing. He had his laptop out on the kitchen table and was furiously mumbling something about "wifi" and "magical Stone Age." Linda's curiosity got the better of her.

"Fitch?" she asked, "What _are_ you talking about?"

Fitch looked up from his work, blushing slightly at being overheard.

"I don't know how you all do it, I mean, magical powers are great and all, but no technology? What is up with that? What I wouldn't give for Internet access! Heck, I'd even take dial-up!" he smiled. "Ok, maybe not, but still."

Linda laughed. "Well, the magic of the Ghyll kinda fries all technology. Sorry Fitch."

"Well," Fitch added, "That's what I'm working on. I'm thinking that a combination of insulation against magical interference and the incorporation of magical elements in forming a wireless network might make the whole thing work…" he looked up and cracked a crooked smile, "maybe."

Linda suddenly felt a wave of inspiration. "Fitch, if you pull this off, let me know. I'll need your help with something."

Fitch squirmed a little under her intense attention, but smiled, "Sure Aunt Linda, I'll let you know ASAP!"

"Thanks Fitch," Linda said.

Fitch stared after Linda's retreating form, wondering what she could possibly need with a magical Internet connection, and then figuring that whatever it was, it would invariably mean trouble. Linda had a knack for attracting trouble.

Fitch shrugged and returned to his work. He was used to trouble.


	6. The Plan

**Sorry it's taken so long to update ~ But don't worry there's much more in the works. Just a short update for today, but like I said, there's more to come!**

**Please Review!**

**Enjoy!**

**Part Six: The Plan**

Seph and Hastings had come to a resolution that they both could live with. Now came the tricky part – running it by Madison, Linda, and the rest of the gang. Seph didn't anticipate any opposition from Jack or Ellen. It was Madison he was most worried about, followed closely by his mother. This was mostly because the plan put Madison, Leander, and Seph right in the front lines of an inter-guild conference, a position even more dangerous now that the Roses had all but crumbled and the Rules of Engagement had been thrown out the window. At least before, the rebels could anticipate who would be trying to kill them and how they would go about it. Wizard politics had a long and bloody tradition and was thus hugely predictable. Now, well now, just about any power hungry weirlind looking to gain control over their neighbors could be a threat, and in any number of creative ways.

Seph shuddered at the thought. This was the best plan they'd come up with, but even so, if it went wrong… He didn't want to imagine it. Not so much because he'd be the first to go, but because of what it could mean for Madison. If she was discovered… He couldn't bear the thought. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and prepared to address his family and friends. It was time to let them in on the plan.

They were all assembled around the sitting room fire. Madison was twitching uncomfortably, both anxious to hear the plan and dreading it all the same. Linda, tapping her nails and looking ready for a fight, was seated next to Madison, with Jack and Ellen occupying the loveseat, and Will and Fitch hovering unobtrusively on the edges of the room. Seph and Hastings stood in front of the fire, waiting for some invisible signal to begin.

Finally, Hastings cleared his throat and the words came out in a rush.

"So, you know why we've asked you here. Seph and I have been trying to work out a plan to cement the little bit of peace we've managed to obtain since the battle of Trinity." He scratched his arm uncomfortably. "We think we've come up with something that minimizes the danger to us while still achieving our ends." He paused. "That being said, I should mention that we, some of us more than others, could still be in considerable danger, particularly if things go badly."

His voice seemed to lose strength throughout. However much Leander didn't mind throwing his own person into the fire when necessary, he loathed the idea of others taking the heat for him. Especially now that he'd finally found a family.

Seph took over where Hastings had faltered.

"We plan to invite the guild members to a conference to sign a new covenant, consecrated here, to cement the ties of peace, instead of waiting for wizards to either stop fearing the dragon or…" he swallowed hard and forced the words out, "try to find her." His body shook subtly at the thought, but he mustered his courage to continue.

Madison looked up in awe as Seph spoke. He looked years older. Not in the tired, world-weary way, but in the way that made her stomach tie up in knots and her heart leap with pride. He was a sight to behold. He practically glowed with warm, pure energy and his eyes were like miniature green suns. He seemed to grow as she watched him. Suddenly, she realized she was missing the finer details of the plan because of her ogling. She shook her head to bring it back in focus.

"Hastings and I believe we can set up the Ghyll a little like Trinity, banning all attack magics and such. We need the underguilds to feel safe enough to come and we need to protect them and ourselves once the wizards get here. We will contact the traditional heads of the guilds and wizarding houses, explain about the summit, send along a rough draft of the covenant to be signed, explain about the ban on attack magic, and…" Seph seemed to lose the will to continue.

Hastings laid a hot hand on Seph's shoulder. "And, we will inform them that the proceedings will be officiated by the reigning Dragon."

Hastings' words were met with stunned silence. In his mind, he was ticking off the seconds before the room would erupt with the sounds of violent protest. He was sure that Linda, at least, would have plenty to say on the subject. He got to twenty before any sound at all reached his ears. And then it was not what he expected.

Madison Moss rose slowly from her chair, cleared her throat, and said, in a small voice, "I'll do it."

And then the uproar began.


	7. Paige's Secret

**So, I realize I've been neglecting Will a bit, but I promise to bring him back into the fray soon. The next couple of updates should be a bit longer, so thanks for bearing with me on these little ones!**

**Please Read and Review!!**

**Enjoy!**

**Part Seven: Paige's Secret**

"Now remember Madison," Seph said for the hundredth time, "you'll have to maintain the dragon form for the whole of the consecration ceremony. We can't have anyone see you in human form."

"I know, I know," Madison said, wearily. "Seph, we've gone over this. I _can_ hold the form. I did it yesterday for almost 20 minutes."

"Yes, but," Seph insisted, "you were completely exhausted afterward."

Madison was building up a head of steam to continue the argument, but Seph quickly took her by the shoulders, stared deep into her eyes, and said, softly, "Maddie, I know. I just want to make sure you'll be safe. OK? Please? Just work with me a little more." He cracked a small smile, "You said you've been wanting to work on stretching your powers. Come on, we'll work on it now." His smiled faded into a slightly pleading expression, "Please?"

Madison's defenses crumbled and she grumbled, "Oh alright," before hastily adding, "As long as I get to try flying too."

Seph shot her a look of fake annoyance before smiling fully, taking her hand, and leading her out onto the castle's expansive grounds.

* * *

Back in the states, Jessamine was trying to appear relaxed in the company of Simon Paige who was, she was sure, counting down the hours before he'd give up the charade of working with her and blast her to pieces.

She'd given up some information to bribe Paige into sparing her life, but he was ready to hear more. Jessamine was stalling, knowing full well that if she gave up the rest of the information without providing a reason for Paige to keep her alive, she was as good as dead. So, she'd convinced him to order in dinner, and they sat, albeit somewhat awkwardly, around a small card table in her dingy motel room.

Paige was staring intently at her and she thought for a fleeting second that she might have a chance at seducing him and making a run for it, but then she remembered, she'd tried that with him before and oh yea, she didn't have her powers anymore. Her power of persuasion was severely limited to her own, rather rusty, feminine wiles. She squirmed a little under his gaze and shot about for a topic of conversation.

"So, Simon," she began, awkwardly, "what's new in… the warrior business," she finished lamely.

To her surprise, Paige's eyes narrowed slightly before he controlled his expression and smiled. "Funny you should mention that, Jess. It's going quite well, I believe. Following some new leads, you know the deal." His smile was very pronounced, and Jessamine felt more confused and anxious than before.

She tried to hide it with a smile, "New leads? Well, that is good news. I suppose congratulations are in order. We haven't had new leads in years."

Paige was obviously very pleased with himself. He continued, "Well, you know the deal, it's all about turning over the right rocks, following the right tree..."

Jessamine's eyebrows arched in confusion. _Following the right tree? What does that mean? _She thought to herself.

Suddenly the motel room door burst open, and a very harried-looking wizard nearly fell through. "Paige!" he nearly shouted, before noticing Paige and his guest. He lowered his voice and tried to put on some semblance of calm. "Sorry to interrupt, sir."

Paige was unruffled by the man's boisterous entrance. "Quite alright, Hopkins. We were just enjoying some dinner." He smiled at Jessamine in a very unappetizing way. He turned back to the man called Hopkins, "Something to report, then?"

"Yes, yes, sir," the man mumbled. "Um, well, someone has accessed the…um… the _files_… that we were, um, searching." He nodded, hoping Paige would understand his cryptic message. The look of confusion on Paige's face plainly stated that he had not. The man tried again, "You know, the _girl's_ _files? _From the _book?_" He widened his eyes and nodded furiously, hoping Paige would get the message this time.

He did. "Oh!! Oh, yes, of course. Oh my, hmm. Well, that is not good, right?" He rubbed his chin and screwed up his face in concentration. "Yes, well. Um, see if you can boot them off. Or at least locate them. Either way, shut them out and keep them from locating us. Got it?"

The man nodded furiously and hurried out of the room. Paige rose from his chair and began to pace, completely ignoring Jessamine, whose brain was working hard, trying to figure out how to use this turn of events to her advantage.

* * *

Back in the Ghyll, Fitch and Linda were staring wide-eyed at each other.

"Crap," Fitch said, finally, "This is _not_ good."

But Linda's mind was already whirling ahead, trying to put the pieces together.

"Fitch," she said softly, but he was still staring open-mouthed at the computer screen. "Fitch!" she said louder.

"Huh?" he replied.

"Did you capture that last image before they kicked us off?"

"Hmm," he screwed up his face in concentration. A few clicks later, he answered, "Yup, got it."

Linda smiled hugely, "Good."

Fitch could practically hear the wheels turning in her mind.

"You've got a plan, don't you?" Fitch said, in an almost resigned voice.

Linda smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "I've always got a plan. It's the reason I'm still alive today." She smiled again, "Come on, we've got work to do."

"Oh boy, here we go again," said Fitch, sarcastically. But he rose to follow her.


	8. News

**Sorry it's been a little while since my last post. I lost some chapters in a computer crash :( Anyway, they should come faster now!!**

**Enjoy! Please Review!  
**

**Part Eight: News**

"Now, _concentrate!_" Seph said, trying to sound calm and not condescending.

Madison picked it up in his tone anyway. She sighed. It wasn't that he was actually being condescending; it was just that he was worried.

Jack was about to hurl a jet of flame at Madison and she was supposed to be shaping a shield out of the air in time to turn the blow. So far, she'd managed to get it mostly up, but a couple of her shields hadn't formed all the way and Seph had had to deflect the flame before it singed her eyebrows off (again).

"I got this," she said, mostly to herself, as she concentrated on the feeling of gathering air in her arms and molding it into something hard, something impenetrable. She felt her fingers tingling. She moved her arms slowly through the air, noticing for the first time that they didn't cut through the air as they usually did. The air in front of her was thickening, hardening. She smiled, and then grit her teeth. _C'mon air, _she thought, _just a little harder_.

In the corner of her mind, she felt Jack preparing to launch another jet of flame. A little bit of doubt flickered in and she felt herself loosing control of the air. _No, no, no, no!!_ she thought.

She looked up to Seph, fearing the worst, but he wasn't looking it at her. He was staring intently at Jack. Curious, she followed his gaze and found, to her great confusion, that Jack wasn't aiming his sword at Madison, but about 6 feet away to her right – directly at Seph.

He stood, impassive, stoic, his eyes calm pools of liquid green.

Seph said, quietly, "Are you ready, Maddie?"

Confused, she was only able to utter a small grunt, "um, I think so."

She felt again for her hold on the air. It was tenuous at best. She tried to harden it again, panic rising in her throat. A small flash of intuition hit, and she shouted, just as Jack lobed a long jet of flame from across the field – not at her, but directly at Seph.

"Seph!! What on earth are you doing?!!?!" Her shout turned into a sustained cry as the wall of flame barreled down on Seph.

"No!!" she screamed. Without thinking, she thrust her hands out toward Seph.

The fire cascaded around Seph, stopping a foot from him on all sides as if he was wrapped in a solid ball of protection. The flame swept past, swirling around him, without even ruffing his hair, leaving Seph completely unharmed. When the flames died, he turned incredulous eyes on Madison. His grin spread from ear to ear.

"That was amazing, Maddie!" he ran over to her, picked her off her feet and spun her around.

She didn't protest. She couldn't find words. Once Seph put her down, she found she was shaking uncontrollably. Seph's smiling eyes creased with worry.

"Maddie?" he said, "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

"Have you lost your mind!!! What is the matter with you??" Maddie shouted, finally finding her voice, which was shaking with rage, fear, and relief. But mostly with rage.

Seph backed up, suddenly feeling guilty about his little stunt. His face the picture of remorse, he said, "I'm so sorry Madison. I didn't mean to scare you, you were just so close. I knew you'd be able to do it, you just needed…" his voice got very small, "a little push?" He said this like a question.

Madison was fuming, "Yea, well next time you get the stupid idea to put yourself in danger just to 'give me a little push,' I'll give you a push – right off a cliff!!" Madison was just building a head of steam in her little rant, when her cell phone rang.

Removing it from her pocket with trembling hands, she stared at the ringing phone.

"I thought we didn't get service here," she said to Jack, who had just made his way over to the shouting match. She didn't look at Seph.

"Fitch has been working on that," Jack said, shrugging. "Guess he got it to work."

She didn't recognize the number, but that didn't bother her. Only one person knew the number to this phone. She'd bought it for one express purpose.

"Gracie?" she said into the phone, trying to calm the hysterics out of her voice and sound normal.

"Hey Maddie," said Grace, a little testily. She didn't like being called Gracie anymore.

"Everythin' okay?" Madison said, "How's camp?"

"It's great! Today I got to canter on a big palomino and John Robert got up on his own without needing help." Madison could hear John Robert whining in the background, "Let me talk!" There was a short muffled battle and suddenly, John Robert was shouting into the phone.

"It's awesome here, Maddie, we get to ride lots of horses and brush them and go for trail rides…" he ran out of breath, sucked in a huge lungful and finished, "you should see this place," he sighed. "Ooh!" he just remembered the news he'd been dying to share, "Maddie! Guess what? Gracie's got a _boyfriend_," he broke into kissing noises and delighted laughter.

Maddie couldn't help but laugh. Another tug-of-war over the phone ensued, punctuated by Grace yelling, "He's not my boyfriend," and "Let go!" Then Grace was back on the phone.

"Maddie?"

"Yea, I'm here," she said.

"There's something else."

Something in Grace's tone surprised Maddie. She listened intently, "Yea?"

"You know how you told me to call you if we ever saw any of those shining men like who set the barn on fire?"

Maddie's blood froze.

"Are there shining people at camp?" she said softly.

"Um, yea. There weren't any before, but two men came yesterday. They seem a bit suspicious to me, but the camp folk seem to think they are ok."

_I'm sure they do,_ Madison thought sourly. Normal people had no protection against the charms of wizards.

"Have they talked to you or John Robert?" Maddie asked.

"Well, no, not really. But it seems like they're looking for someone. They keep showing up at things. They started talking to my friend, Carson."

Madison thought hard. "Well, I want you and John Robert to stay away from them. If they try to talk to you, run away, you hear me? Don't rely on the other adults to help you, okay?"

"Maddie?" Grace's voice was small.

"Yea?"

"You know how the shining people kinda glow real bright?"

"Yea," said Madison, tentatively. She wasn't sure where this question was headed.

"Well, have you ever seen someone that kinda shines, but softer, like a little candle, like reddish?"

Madison was shocked into silence, because she knew exactly was Grace meant. She was awed by the girl's perceptiveness. When Madison had been Grace's age, she would never have been able to distinguish between the bright glow of a wizard and the subtler glows of the other guilds.

Lifting her eyes to Jack's, she spoke, "Yes, Grace, I know exactly what you mean. Is there someone like that at your camp too?"

"Yes." Grace said, "My friend, Carson."

Maddie went silent.

"Maddie?" Grace said.

"I'm here." She forced herself to speak. "Grace, this is important. I'm coming to get you and John Robert. Until I get there, you have to keep John Robert safe. Try to keep an eye on your friend if you can, keep the shining men away from him, but don't let them near you. You got it? They are dangerous, stay away from them, no matter what. And call me if anything else happens. I should be there in a day or two. Don't tell the adults that you're leaving and don't tell John Robert. Once you're safe I'll find a better camp for you, I promise. Okay?"

"Okay," Grace said, steely determination in her voice, "I won't let them near us."

"Good girl." Maddie said, "Be careful. I love you guys. I'll be there soon, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Maddie."

With a heavy sigh, Maddie shut the phone, and, finally succumbing to the tiresome effects of magic, rage, relief, and now a new helping of bone chilling fear, Madison fainted.


	9. Revelations

**Forgive me for the huge time lapse since my last entry. The next two chapters are already in the works, so stay tuned. **

**Much More to come! **

**Please Review ~ Enjoy!**

**~TLD  
**

* * *

**Part Nine: Revelations**

In the living room, Ellen and Will were playing chess, a pastime Will loved, but Ellen loathed. Will found it highly ironic that Ellen was a masterful military commander, _the_ strategist, in fact, that had allowed them to keep the Roses at bay during the siege of Trinity - but she was _terrible_ at chess.

Apparently, the skills didn't transfer.

Ellen was staring hard at the board, trying to ignore the growing annoyance that she couldn't just grab her sword and dive into the imaginary battle being waged on the board. She'd have a much better idea of strategy then. Just as she had raised her hand to move her knight, the silent living room erupted into commotion as Seph, Madison, and Jack barreled into the room.

With a shout, Ellen's hand dropped her piece and she jumped out of her chair, searching for danger and preparing to fight.

"What?" she shouted. Her eyes were wild and her body tense, but as Will laid a hand on her shoulder, she took in the situation and noticed that, although her three friends seemed shaken up, they didn't appear to be in any danger. She relaxed her guard.

Will found words first, "Woah, guys, What's up?" Will surveyed the group. Seph was breathing hard, and cracking his knuckles in anxiety. Madison's face was a sickening white/green as if she'd recently passed out and was only now starting to come around. Her eyes were vacant as if some horrible truth had yet to sink in. Jack stood tall, his body straining in stillness, his muscles tensing as if he'd rather be fighting than standing still.

They looked at each other, before Seph finally spoke. "We've got some bad news," he said simply, and inadequately.

At Seph's request, Will left the living room in search of the rest of the family. Seph had thought it best that they all be together to hear the news, so they could decide how to proceed.

When Linda, Fitch, and Leander entered the living room with Will, they found Jack and Ellen staring at each other, bodies tight and faces drawn, as if having a silent conversation. Seph had Madison wrapped in his arms by the fire, and was steadily trying to rub warmth into her still-shaking body. Seph's eyes rested on the faces of his mother and father, worry creasing his face. He knew what he must do next, but he wasn't sure how his parents would react.

After they were all seated, Seph relayed the situation as best as he could, from what Madison had told him and what he gathered from her phone call with Grace.

"So here's the thing," he finished, "I have to go back to Ohio and get Grace and John Robert before the wizards figure out who they are," Seph finished. He looked up to see seven pairs of eyes on him. Only a couple of those eyes looked incredulous.

The most astonished gaze came from Madison, "You would do that?" she whispered. And then blushed scarlet. _What a dumb question_, she thought to herself. Seph smiled slightly and squeezed her hand.

_So far, so good_, he thought.

But the other questions weren't so easily answered.

After a long moment, Leander spoke, but the question was directed to Madison, "Why didn't you tell us earlier that Grace was an elicitor?" His tone wasn't scolding, but it wasn't kind, either.

Madison cleared her throat, suddenly too embarrassed to speak. "I just… I just wanted to keep her out of this," she said, in a small voice.

Leander began to pace. "Seph, the council meeting is set for two weeks from now. You can't just go off now. I need you, we need you to help set up the perimeter and the safety measures, and…"

Seph cut him off. "I'll be back in time. Besides, you can't just expect me to leave them in danger."

Leander rubbed in forehead in exasperation. "I don't like it. You'll be recognized. Linda?" He turned to Linda for support.

All eyes followed him, but Linda's face appeared distracted, her eyes lingering on empty space as if her mind were miles away.

"Linda?" Leander said, again.

"Hm?" she said, coming out of her reverie.

"What do you think about all of this?" Leander asked softly, concern coloring his tone.

After a long moment, she heaved a heavy sigh, and said, "I think it's even worse than you say…" she let her voice drift off. Closing her eyes, she said, reluctantly, "Fitch and I have some news to share as well." And she laid her head in hands, seeming unable to continue.

The silence dragged on, and as Linda appeared unable to speak, all eyes turned to Fitch. Uncomfortable under the scrutiny, he twitched slightly and blushed a deep shade before blurting suddenly, "Ellen? Um, well… We found your Weirbook."

Ellen felt her legs growing weak, and with a subtle movement, gripped Jack's arm a little tighter so she wouldn't crash to the ground. She felt a surging happiness growing from within, but the horror-stricken look on Linda's face sent confusing emotions coursing through her.

"I don't understand," she finally managed.

Fitch struggled to find the words. "There's more." He let the silence drag, and suddenly the tension in the room was too much to bear.

"Fitch, spit it out," Jack finally exclaimed.

Jack's yell shocked Fitch into speaking. "Ellen, you have a brother."

"What?" she yelled.

Fitch hurried on. "We found your Weirbook, or a digital copy of it, online. Paige has it, we're pretty sure. And, well, anyway we were able to figure out what they were looking for. And they had this file on you, and your parents, and… um…" Fitch raced through his explanation, but found he couldn't finish it.

Finally, Linda spoke. "We think they are tracking your brother. They had files on your parents' whereabouts, their contacts, their credit card transactions…"

Madison's eyes were growing steadily larger, her breath coming in little gasps. She was developing a huge hunch, a coincidence that just couldn't be… She dared not ask the question growing heavy in her mind, for fear of the answer.

Finally, she couldn't ignore the nagging suspicion any longer. With a tentative voice, she asked, "Fitch, Linda? What's the boy's name? What's Ellen's brother's name?" Her voice was nearly a whisper by the end.

Their voices cracked a little, but they said in unison, "Carson."


	10. Into the Woods

**Okay kids, here it is, the Massive Chapter we've been waiting for. Finally, some action. Thank you for bearing with me through all the set up. Now we get into the meat of the story.**

**Hope you Enjoy! Please Review!!**

**~TLD**

* * *

**Part Ten: Into the Woods**

Grace looked up from her dinner to stare at the two men speaking with the camp director just inside the dining hall entrance. She reflexively narrowed her eyes against the blinding glare that was radiating off their skin. They were tall, but not overly so, and well dressed. _Like big-city lawyers, or something_, Grace thought. They had that predatory look in their eyes as they loomed over the comparatively tiny camp director. She was a tough, sturdy woman, but over the past two days, Grace had noticed her steely disposition starting to melt under the attention and charm of the two shiny men. She couldn't hear what they wanted or what they said, but Grace had noticed how their eyes continued to settle on her friend Carson. She didn't like how their predatory glances seemed to glimmer with a strange hunger when they looked at him. It reminded her vaguely of the way that Brice Roper used to look at her sister back in Coalton County.

She quickly ducked her head as their eyes raked over the overly-crowded dining hall. She felt rather than saw their eyes burn into the back of Carson's head. He sat across from her at dinner, J.R. bouncing in the seat next to him. Although Carson was nearly two years older than Grace, they had become fast friends on the first day of camp when some kid had knocked J.R. from his perch on the fence with a mud-ball splattered in his face. Carson had been the first person to help J.R. up and get him cleaned up a bit while Grace pushed the other kid's face into a steamy puddle of mud and horse manure. Carson's otherwise serious face had burst into a roar of laughter when he looked up to find Grace's arms coated in mud and J.R's attacker dripping from head to toe. Even J.R. had forgotten about his dirty face and aching back long enough to join in Carson's laughter. Since then J.R. stalked Carson's every step and the three of them did everything together.

Grace brought her eyes to Carson's face, trying to ignore the shiny men in the periphery of her vision.

"They're still here, aren't they?" Carson asked, his honey-brown eyes creasing with concern.

Grace frowned. "Yeah. They're getting closer. I don't know how much longer Ms. Dodson is going to hold them off. Whatever they want, they're getting closer."

Grace felt her anxiety growing inside, felt her body tensing with stress.

"Gracie?" J.R. asked. Grace turned concerned eyes on her brother, hoping she hadn't scared him with her dire predictions.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Are you going to finish your pie?" he asked.

Grace smiled, "Nah. Go ahead." She heaved a tiny sigh of relief.

"Here, have mine too," Carson added, piling his apple pie on top of J.R's. J.R's eyes bugged with delight.

"Thanks!!" he chimed.

Carson pushed his light brown hair out of his eyes with a weary look on his face. Grace marveled at how his sun darkened skin and sun lightened hair mixed with the slight red-orange glow radiating off his skin, giving him the appearance of a human sunrise.

"What do you think they want?" Carson asked softly, not completely hiding the concern in his voice.

"I don't know," Grace answered honestly, "but my sister said we should stay away from them – that the adults wouldn't be able to help. I think it's time we took matters into our own hands," Grace finished, a determined tone coloring her voice.

Carson picked up on it, "What do you have in mind?" he asked, eyebrows arched.

* * *

Leander was unhappy. But he had been outvoted, so, in a mass exodus, his Ghyll mansion quickly emptied. Save for one.

"Fitch," Leander called, "Toss me the grey-black sefa from the pack."

Fitch dug around in the backpack and grabbed the warding sefa, tossing it to Leander. Fitch had elected to stay in Dragon's Ghyll and help with the warding and security measures for the upcoming conference. It had been the only victory for Leander, who had insisted that Seph stay and help. Deep down he'd been impressed by Seph's defiance and his unshakable determination to go with Madison and take care of her family. He was secretly pleased that Seph learned a lesson that had taken Leander years and years to learn – sometimes the right thing to do is not always the smartest thing, especially when it comes to protecting your family. So Leander had swallowed his chagrin and allowed Linda, Will, Seph, Ellen, Madison, and Jack take the first flight out of England. He rationalized that they were safer together and that, if anyone had to go, it was better to have greater numbers and power than to send just one into danger.

Fitch found it slightly awkward to be in the sprawling mansion alone with Leander, but the two of them threw themselves into protecting the compound and incorporating both magical and non-magical means of security so that they would have no surprises at the upcoming conference.

* * *

Across the ocean, the assorted heirs were trying to anticipate the surprises that Paige and his lackeys could throw at them. They raced from the airport, realizing a bit too late that they wouldn't make it to the camp before nightfall.

"We can't wait another day," Madison insisted. "Grace called two days ago, if we wait any longer, they could already be gone." Her voice shook at the end.

Seph gently laid his hands over Madison's tightly clutched fists. He slipped in a tiny sip of power, soothing her. She felt it and smiled. The feel of Seph's strong, pure power always made her slightly giddy inside, especially now that the Dragon's power pulsed within her, linking her even more strongly to Seph, and all the Weir, for that matter.

"Then we'll go tonight," Linda said, soothingly. "Don't worry, we'll get there in time."

Linda drove the rental van at top speed, racing through backcountry roads and sleepy country towns. Jack and Ellen strained in silence, their twin blades laid across their laps. Ellen stared out of the window. She hadn't spoken much since the revelation about her family. No one had pushed her, least of all Jack, who simply stayed near her and occasionally laid a hand on her knee or shoulder, subtly letting her know that she's not alone. Will sat up front with Linda, occasionally stomping on the floor at his feet as if trying to stomp on an invisible brake pedal.

They steadily drew closer to the camp. Suddenly, Madison felt them. She felt the bright yellow spark of the wizards in the camp. She could almost see them, pacing in the director's office. She reached out further, trying to sense her sister and brother or Ellen's brother, Carson.

The van lurched to a stop, snapping Madison out of her reverie.

"We're here," Linda shouted.

Everyone took a deep breath and piled out of the car.

"We'll have to split up," Madison whispered. "The wizards are in the camp office, but its after lights out, so Grace, J.R. and Carson should be in the bunks."

Linda spoke, "Okay, Ellen and Madison will take the girls' dorm, Seph and Jack, take the boys'. Will and I will stick by the van and pick you up once you find the kids."

"I have two walkie-talkies," Will added, "They probably won't work once the magic starts getting tossed around, but I'll keep one on me so we can get the van in place once you find the kids." He tossed the walkie to Jack. "It's something at least," he added sheepishly.

"It's great, man, good thinking," Jack said.

"Okay!" Madison whispered urgently, "We have to go. Now."

* * *

"They're not here!" Madison hissed to Ellen. They hurried out of the girls' dorm only to smash into Seph and Jack, who were racing to find them.

"Ouch!" Madison cried.

"What the-" Jack's low voice cut the still air. Seph created a small ball of light in his palm, shedding light on the confusing situation.

"They aren't in the bunks, Maddie," Seph relayed.

"Same with the girls' dorm," Ellen answered. All eyes turned to Maddie, waiting for what to do next. But Maddie wasn't looking at them. Her eyes were closed and she was reaching out with her senses, searching for the lost kids.

"Maddie?" Seph whispered. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and with a horror stricken look on her face, she uttered one word, "Woods!"

In a flash, the heirs were racing away from the buildings and into the huge wooded area that bordered the camp. Just as they reached the first trees, Madison stopped.

"Wait," she whispered. "They're here, too." All eyes turned to her, confused. "The wizards. They're in here, too."

"Maddie, which way are the kids?" Seph asked.

Maddison's brow furrowed, "I don't know! I can't tell." She looked as if she were about to cry. Ellen laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It's OK, Maddie." Ellen said, "We'll split up, move silently, see what you can find. If you find the kids shoot up green sparks and then move North. Jack, tell Will and Linda to have the van up the road a bit. If you run into the wizards and need help, shoot up red sparks, and we'll converge with backup. Clear?" Ellen was in her element, commanding her troops. Everyone nodded and then branched off in different directions.

* * *

Grace had one hand clasped tightly in Carson's and the other wrapped securely over J.R's mouth. They were moving slowly through the forest, away from the temporary camp they'd made the day before. Grace had heard the wizards bumbling through the underbrush as darkness fell and, in a split-second decision, decided that they needed to make a break for it. Carson was in the lead, pulling Grace and J.R. behind him. The moon was high and bright, and it filtered through the dense foliage, making walking through the forest a dangerous endeavor.

All of a sudden, Carson froze in his tracks and Grace and J.R. held their breath. After a long, tense moment, Grace could hear what had made Carson freeze – footsteps in the underbrush. They seemed to grow louder – Someone was coming! Slowly, Carson crouched down and motioned for Grace and J.R. to do the same. Partially hidden in shadow and behind a small bush, the three friends held their breaths and hoped the footsteps would fade away.

A sudden flash of light illuminated the forest, and Grace heard distant shouting. A loud boom erupted nearby, and suddenly they found themselves in the middle of a wizard fire-fight. When a stray blast of wizard flame lit the bush behind which they were hiding, J.R. jumped up in fright, and, screaming, ran off into the forest. Grace took one last look at Carson before jumping up in pursuit of her brother.

His hiding place on fire, Carson knew he had to move. After a second of hesitation, he mustered his courage and ran as fast as he could, explosions erupting on all sides of him, into the darkest part of the forest.

* * *

Jack dove to the side to avoid being incinerated by a blast of wizard fire. He'd stumbled across a wizard in the forest and had found out quickly that this particular wizard had no qualms about burning an entire forest to the ground if it meant he could kill this threat to his prize. He shot back another gouge of flame and wondered, briefly, if the others were having any better luck.

* * *

J.R. ran into something soft. He bounced off of Seph's chest with a resounding thud, but was saved from landing on his butt by two strong arms, holding him upright. In his panic he began to squirm and shout, but Seph's whispered voice cut through.

"Shh," Seph whispered urgently, "J.R. it's me, Seph. You remember me, right?" Seph insisted.

J.R. began to calm. But before Seph could ask, Grace's voice rent the air, "Let him go!" She nearly yelled.

"Shh!" Seph called, "Grace, it's me, Seph, Maddie's friend? Remember?"

Grace let down her guard slightly, but was only fully appeased when Seph created a small ball of light in his hands and she was able to see his face. After a moment, Grace finally asked, "Wait! Where's Carson? Did you find him, too?"

Seph's face creased with concern, "He wasn't with you?"

Grace was on the verge of tears, "We got separated in the fight."

Seph felt his insides burning. He desperately wanted to go back and find out who was in the fight… _Maddie,_ he briefly thought, fear gnawing at him. But whoever it was hadn't sent up sparks so they were OK and he knew he HAD to get Grace and J.R. out. He set his face in grim determination and led the siblings to Linda and Will.

* * *

Ellen crept through the underbrush like the seasoned soldier she was. She moved with the sleek gait of a deadly cat. She scanned the darkness with her keen eyes and listened for any sign of movement. For a long while, she found nothing in the pitch darkness. Suddenly, the sounds of breaking branches and heavy footfalls reached her ears. _Someone's running this way_, she thought. She turned toward the sound and moved into a place directly in the runner's path. She stayed low and took hold of Waymaker, preparing to take the runner's head as they crossed her path. At the last second, she changed her mind, and, pouncing like a leopard, she tackled the runner in a swift, fluid motion.

The runner kicked and struggled, and she noticed, with a start, that it was only a boy. He squirmed in her grasp, shouting, and kicking, until she finally turned him so she could look him in the face.

"Shh," she whispered, "Stop. I won't hurt you."

He stopped struggling, momentarily stunned to see she was not one of the men he'd seen at camp.

"Who are you?" he asked, skepticism heavy on his face.

Ellen swallowed the first answer that came to mind, finding she wasn't quite able to spit it out. Instead she answered, "I'm a friend of Grace's."

Carson looked up into the face of the girl he'd only just met and felt a nagging sensation in his gut. He opened his mouth to ask another question. But suddenly, she was on her feet, her back to him and a wicked looking sword in her hands.

"Well, well, well," a deep, sinister voice cut through the silence. "What do we have here?"

Ellen stood ready, lightly balanced on the balls of her feet, her sword held deftly in her hands. She didn't make a sound.

Simon Paige stepped into a beam of moonlight cutting through the trees. "A little family reunion, eh?" He smiled a sickening grin.

"I should have killed you a long time ago," Ellen replied, coldly.

"That is what you do best," Paige replied, still smiling.

Suddenly, Ellen felt the presence of several other wizards, closing in on her position. _Oh no,_ she thought, _they had reinforcements hiding_.

"Isn't this a treat," Paige continued, "We came here for the pup and now we get the bitch too." He laughed, "Is your mongrel boyfriend lurking around here too? I'd love a hat trick tonight."

Ellen's eyes narrowed. This was definitely a situation in which to send up red sparks. She sent up a silent prayer that she wasn't calling her friends into a massacre, and shot red sparks from Waymaker high into the sky.

* * *

Madison saw the sparks erupt into the sky. Not green this time, but red. She spared a second to reach out her senses in the direction of sparks. _Ellen!_ She thought, frantically, before running at full sprint to the aid of her friend.

As she reached the clearing where Ellen and Carson were besieged by wizards, she found the forest empty and silent. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she strained to hear even the smallest sound. Suddenly, she heard a slight rustling in the underbrush and she crept toward the source of the sound. Conjuring a tiny bit of light, Madison found Ellen and Carson trussed up in Weirwebs, twitching on the forest floor. Ellen's eyes spoke volumes, and, suddenly alert, Madison spun around to find Paige and his associates forming a tight circle around the fallen warriors.

The circle blazed with light and Madison had only a quick second to recognize Dr. Jessamine Longbranch among the wizards before she heard her scream, "That's her!" and felt a stabbing in the side of her neck. She reached up and removed the dart from her neck, only vaguely recognizing it as a tranquilizer dart before she felt her mind going black and felt her body fall away into darkness.

* * *

Jack was running. When he saw the red sparks, somehow he instinctively knew that Ellen was in danger. Panic as he hadn't felt since Ellen had nearly died at the Seige of Trinity, coursed through his body, pushing him to incredible speeds. He felt the thorns and sharp edges of fallen branches tearing at his clothes and flesh, but only vaguely. He had only one goal.

Still, a voice in his head nagged with the unbearable truth, _You're not going to make it in time_. He blocked out thought and ran even harder.

When he reached a clearing, he stopped suddenly, sensing that this was the right place. He scanned the area for any sign of Ellen or her attackers, but there was no one in sight. Just as he was about to start running to try and find the site of the battle, he saw a tiny bit of Weirweb hanging from a tree.

Stuck to it was a small lock of Ellen's oak-colored hair and a bit of denim fabric from Madison's favorite jacket. Jack pulled it down, and, in the light of the moon, read, "Thank you for returning her to me. She and the boy will make excellent guards for our guest of honor. ~ P"

Jack gripped the fabric in his hand, and falling to his knees, clutched the lock of Ellen's hair to his heart. In the darkness, he made a silent vow;_ I'll get you back_.


	11. Dire Situation

**Another new chapter! Please Review!**

**Enjoy**

**~TLD  
**

**Part Eleven: Dire Situation**

Madison woke to a splitting headache. Groggy and disoriented, she tried to roll onto her side, to find a more comfortable sleeping position. But as she moved, the clinking of heavy metal chains on a stone floor tore through her disorientation. She blinked her eyes open, only to find that her vision was a complete blur. She felt around with her hands, only now beginning to remember the events of the night before.

"Ugh," she groaned, rolling back on her back and struggling to sit up.

"Ah, her Highness is awake," said a chilly female voice.

Madison nearly jumped out her skin. In her blindness, she curled her knees against her chest and strained her eyes to find where the voice had come from.

Her head throbbed, and against her instincts, she laid her forehead against her knees to try and ease some of the pain.

"My head," she groaned into her knees.

"Ah, yes, my dear, my apologies – it's an unfortunate side effect of certain tranquilizers. It should pass," Dr. Longbranch explained.

"I can't see," Madison whined, still too enmeshed in her pain to appreciate the gravity of her situation.

"Yes," Dr. Longbranch answered, a smile coloring her tone, "another side effect. This should help."

Madison felt a sharp pain in her arm, and realized that Dr. Longbranch had injected her with something. Just as she was about to protest, she noticed that the fogginess in her head and the blurriness of her vision had begun to diminish. She raised her head and looked around her, finally able to take in her surroundings.

She was seated on the floor of a stone cell, surrounded by iron bars. Her hands were chained to the floor on either side of her body, giving her enough slack to stand, she imagined, but not more. Sticking out of her right hand were long clear tubes, attached to and IV bag. As she stared, she heard Dr. Longbranch's voice again.

"Weirsbane," she said, simply. "Well, a mixture of Weirsbane, dietary fluids, and a tiny bit of general anesthesia, just to keep you calm and passive." She smiled hugely. "We don't want to attract any attention to our location, you see, so we can't have your powers pulsing like a beacon and bringing unwanted visitors upon us. Of course," she continued, "I must say, you have made remarkable progress in controlling your powers since the last time I saw you."

Maddie's brow furrowed. _How could she know about me?_ But she remained silent and let Dr. Longbranch continue her monologue.

Dr. Longbranch crouched down in front of Madison, bringing her face inches from Maddie's. "Yes," she whispered, "I know all about you." She gestured around the cell and reached a hand to Madison's neck, where, Maddie suddenly realized, a torc pressed against her skin. "That's why we have all these wonderful precautions. No one will be able to feel your power through this cell, and there's no way you can breach it from within."

As she spoke, Madison looked around the cell again, and noticed that nestled among the stones in the walls were different sefas of all shades of black and grey - warding stones, no doubt. She swallowed a lump that was rising in her throat. The torc pressed against her. Dr. Longbranch noticed her anxiety and answered her unspoken question.

"Never fear, my dear, the torc is simply a precaution – a shield, really – keeping your power to yourself, but away from prying eyes, and away from your ability to access it."

She rose and walked back toward the cell door, "Of course," she added in an offhanded tone, "We have other means of keeping you quiet and docile." She flicked her eyes to the cell next to Madison's.

Maddie turned her head to see what Dr. Longbranch was looking at. In the cell next to hers, Maddie saw Ellen and Carson huddled in the back corner – Ellen chained to the wall and Carson sitting close to her, holding a wad of cloth to a bleeding gash on Ellen's forehead. Madison gasped.

Dr. Longbranch smiled. "While we wouldn't _dream_ of hurting you, dear girl," she let the sentence linger, "We have no qualms about _destroying_ your little friends."

Madison turned stricken eyes on Dr. Longbranch, appalled at the woman's cruelty. In answer, Dr. Longbranch returned the most sickening smile Madison had ever seen.

As she walked away down the corridor, Madison heard her say to the guard, "She'll do whatever we want." Her malicious giggle echoed down the stone hall.

In the silence left in her wake, Madison wondered what they would want her to do…

* * *

Ellen felt a soft pressure on her head. For a blissful moment, she imagined it was Jack's soft hand brushing her hair off her face, trying to wake her up. But as the pains in her ribs, wrists, and head returned to her, she remembered where she was and opened her eyes to find Carson, not Jack, pressing a bit of his shirt against her bleeding face.

She watched him with narrowly opened eyes. _My brother_, she thought, trying out the word in her mind. She examined his face, looking for similarities to her own face. She guessed his light brown hair and eyes seemed to mimic her own. The shape of his jaw and the line of his nose seemed vaguely familiar. She wondered what parts of his face he shared with their parents and which parent he, or she, resembled most.

After a moment, Carson noticed that she had woken. He offered a half smile when she looked at the bit of cloth he held to her head.

"What's happened?" Ellen croaked.

Carson swallowed, feeling unsure how to word the horrors he'd seen that night.

"Well, they got us in the woods… in those… spiderwebs." He stopped, blushing slightly at how silly he sounded.

Ellen was unused to offering comfort, but she interjected, "It's ok, I know it seems crazy, just keep going and then I'll explain everything."

Carson nodded, and continued his tale. "They dragged us into a van. Um, you fought with them…until they knocked you out. Then I think I feel asleep or something. And, when I woke up we were here and you were all chained up and bleeding." By the end, his voice had gotten soft.

"What do they want with us?" Carson whispered.

Ellen took a deep breath. This was not a question she could answer quickly. At least it looked like she'd have plenty of time to tell the tale. She sighed.

She started at the beginning. She told him of the guilds, of the Game, of Jack and Seph and Maddie, of Hastings and Linda, even of Will and Fitch. She told him about Trinity and the Seige, and about the measures they were taking to ensure peace and security.

Carson's face went from skeptical to incredulous. When she finished, he asked the question she'd be avoiding. "Ok, I think I understand, but I still don't get it – What does this have to do with me?"

Ellen answered his question with a question. "Carson, what can you tell me about your family?"

Carson's face betrayed his confusion, but he answered. "Well, there's just me and mom and dad. My mom's name is Charlotte and my dad is John." He paused, unsure what Ellen was asking.

"You have no siblings?" Ellen asked.

Carson's brow furrowed, "Well, my parents told me that before I was born, they had a baby girl, but she died when she was a toddler. Her name was Ellen. Whenever I ask about her, Mom starts crying and Dad gets all quiet and leaves the room."

Ellen was staring off into the distance, small tears welling in the corners of her eyes. She had parents – parents who loved her, who missed her, who cried for her. She couldn't believe it. And a brother! Mixed emotions of joy and sadness coursed through her. Finally, she turned her wet eyes back to Carson.

"She didn't die," Ellen said softly. "She was stolen." Her voice choked in her throat. "I was stolen by these same wizards to be trained to fight in the Game." She paused, letting this sink in. "And now, they've come after my brother," she let her eyes rest heavily on Carson, "to train him to protect them, or to take revenge on me, or for some other horrible reason I can't even fathom."

Carson had stopped breathing. The weight of these revelations crushed down on him. In the madness, he clung to the one thought that seemed the most manageable.

"What do you mean 'train me'?" Carson asked.

Ellen looked him straight in the eyes. "You are a warrior, Carson. Just like me."

Carson shook slightly, fear and confusion taking over. Ellen leaned her body closer to him, and he moved in to put his head on her shoulder. And the siblings sat together, taking comfort from each other's presence. In the silence, over Carson's subtle shaking, Ellen whispered, "Don't worry, I'll protect you. I won't let them separate us again."

The steel in Ellen's voice cut through the silence like Waymaker's blade, and, despite their dire situation, Carson believed her.


	12. Dreams and Drawings

**Please Review~ Enjoy~ TLD**

**Part Twelve: Dreams and Drawings**

The silence in the van was unbearable. Worse than blame, a crushing wave of defeat hung in the air, rendering everyone speechless. They drove in circles, hoping to intercept whatever mode of transportation the wizards had used to steal away Madison, Ellen, and Carson. With no luck.

Suddenly, the sound of J.R. sobbing in his seat brought everyone back to their senses.

"Shh, Johnny," Grace whispered. "It'll be OK. Maddie and Carson are gonna be fine." At this she looked up and caught Seph's eye. Seph saw the fear and apprehension on her face, worried that she'd just lied to her brother. But when she saw Seph's face set into lines of determination, and his head bob a small nod, she relaxed.

"We'll get them back," said Seph to no one in particular. And the van returned to silence.

They stopped a local motel for the night, unsure where to go next. Where would they take Madison, Ellen, and Carson? What did they want with them? The questions swirled through everyone's minds, to no particular end.

Jack was inconsolable. He hadn't spoken a word since he returned to the van with the note he found in the tree. Even then he'd only said two words, "They're gone." His pain was so acute that the others found it difficult to even look at him. Linda's eyes welled with tears every time she saw him. Only Will could stand to be close to him, and he simply laid a hand on Jack's shoulder and sat with him in silence.

In stark contrast, Seph paced like a caged animal. Unable to sit still, or sleep, or eat, he simply paced about the room, until Linda nearly snapped at him to go out in the hall and pace because he was making her dizzy. Thankfully Grace and J.R. fell asleep as soon as they reached the motel and spent their waking hours huddled together, talking quietly.

After they were settled in the motel, Linda decided it was time to call Leander. He needed to know what had happened, and maybe he'd have some ideas as to where Paige might have taken his prisoners. As she left the room and headed to the lobby to use the payphone, she noticed that Seph had finally sat down and had passed out in one of the armchairs in the hallway.

_I'll wake him on my way back_, she thought to herself.

* * *

In her cell, Madison was feeling the effects of the Weirsbane, the anesthesia, and the various torcs, chains, and sefas that her captors had spread about her in order to keep her Dragon magic in check. She always felt slightly dizzy and completely exhausted and she frequently slipped off into sleep without even realizing it.

After one such impromptu nap, Madison woke and, looking over into Ellen and Carson's cell, she felt an overwhelming sense of defeat washing over her. _How are we going to get out of here?_ She kicked herself for not understanding her powers better and for her current state of incapacitation. _I don't even know half of the things I can probably do! If only I had practiced more, _she whined internally.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her brain. _I don't know half of what I can do… but Paige and Longbranch don't know ANY of the things I can do… What if…_ She let her mind wander over the various skills she'd learned since gaining her powers and wondered which ones might help her now. And so, between naps, she began experimenting with her restraints.

_These were made for wizards_, she thought, _but I have more power than all the wizards combined_… She felt herself smiled slightly.

But after a few hours, she felt her smile fading. While any _one _of the restraints could never have held her, it seemed that the combination of so many restraints was more than her power could overcome.

So it was, in a fit of depression, loneliness, and despair, that she reached out to feel Seph's spark, they way she always did when she thought of him. Rationally, she knew he was nowhere nearby and that in her weakened state she would never be able to feel him – especially since she could barely feel Ellen and Carson and they were less that 10 feet away from her – but, after a moment, she did feel _something_.

It wasn't the same as when he was nearby, but she could almost feel his warm, soothing strength, in the green/gold fire that she always associated with him. She could almost see him sparkling on the fringes of her senses. She didn't know what it meant, but she clung to it, pulled it closer to her, and in the dismal darkness of her stone prison, for a moment, she felt home.

She closed her eyes, letting the feeling of Seph's spark encompass her entire being. With her eyes closed, she could pretend that they were back at Dragon's Ghyll, practicing magic, or sleeping in the shade. She could almost hear the gurgling of the stream, or feel the soft meadow grass on her face. She could almost feel Seph's hand against her cheek, or hear him call her name.

_Madison_…

Her eyes shot open.

She was still in her dark little prison, arms bound in chains, Weirsbane steadily dripping into her veins.

But she was sure she'd heard him. His voice had been so clear in her mind.

She heaved a huge sigh, trying to hold back tears. She burrowed her head into her knees to contain her sobs. _Seph,_ she thought, _come and get me, please come back to me_.

_Maddie, where are you_…

Her head shot up again. "Seph?" she whispered into the darkness.

Nothing.

She couldn't see around her, and eventually she put her head back on her knees. Writing off Seph's voice as either a dream or a side effect of too much Weirsbane, she decided to play along. _I'm in a dungeon…_ she thought, and she drew a picture of her cell in her mind, lingering on the sefas and the IV, on her chains, and on Ellen and Carson. And as she drew, she imagined Seph's face contorting with rage at the sight of her restraints. She imagined his eyes, his strong features, and his beautiful flowing hair. And as she fell asleep, she thought,_ I love you, Seph_… before she slipped into oblivion.

* * *

Back in the motel, someone was calling Seph's name.

"Seph?"

With a start, Seph's eyes popped open and he nearly jumped to his feet – effectively scaring the living daylights out of his mother.

"Woah, Seph!" Linda nearly shouted, "Calm down, it's just me."

Seph grabbed her arms, his eyes wide and unfocused, his breathing staggered.

"Where is she?" Seph almost shouted.

Linda's face contorted with confusion, "Who, dear?"

Seph tried to break free of Linda's grasp, but she held him fast. Finally, he answered, "Madison? Where is she? I know I heard her voice."

At this, Linda's face fell, and she answered softly, "She was taken, Seph, remember? She's not here."

Seph stood stock still, clarity finally breaking over him. After a long moment, Linda saw reason return to his eyes, and he blurted, "Mom, I know where Madison is."

Shock colored Linda's tone, "What?"

But Seph was on a roll, "Well, not exactly where she is, but I have a general idea of what it looks like, it's a dungeon somewhere, with chains, and sefas, and…" his voice trailed off as he tried to remember the gist of his dream.

Linda watched, dumbfounded.

"Paper!" Seph suddenly screamed. "I need paper… and a pen."

Linda watched as her son ran into their room, screaming like a madman. She felt numb. _What on earth is going on?_ She thought.

By the time she got her numb legs to carry her back into the room, Seph had already drawn a rough sketch of the dungeon he believed to be holding Maddie. While Linda couldn't believe that Seph had developed some ability to _see_ or prophesize, she couldn't help but be impressed by the detail in his drawing.

Will and Jack were hovering over the picture, equally confused as to what was going on. As Seph finished, Will said, "Wow dude, I didn't know you could draw."

Seph looked up from his work and answered simply, victory in his eyes, "I can't. But Madison can."

Jack and Will looked at each other, eyebrows high.

Finally, Linda looked at the picture and spoke. "Well, there's only one thing to do now."

The boys looked at her, confusion strong on their faces.

"It's time to go back to the Ghyll," she finished. Before they could protest, she continued. "First of all, there are NO dungeons like that one in North America, and secondly, the only wizard that knows more about dungeons than the sorcerers that built them currently resides in the mansion at Dragon's Ghyll." By the end, Linda was smiling.

At the confused looks on the boys' faces, she added, "What? Didn't you know that Lee spent time in nearly every wizard prison across Europe?"

She smiled, and the heirs packed up for yet another journey across the ocean.


	13. A New Master

**Another HUGE one. Couldn't wait. Let me know what you think!**

**MUCH MORE to come! Stay Tuned.**

**Please Review~**

**Enjoy**

**~TLD  
**

**Part Thirteen: A New Master**

In the end, the answer was pretty simple. Leander had confirmed it with a quick glance at Seph's drawing.

"It's eastern dungeon of Castle Lancaster," Leander had said simply.

"You mean THE Castle Lancaster?" Will had asked. "Isn't that a little odd? I thought that castle was open to the public for tours and housed a men's prison."

At this Leander smiled. "Well, yes, right on both counts, Will. But the _whole_ of it isn't open to the public… and what isn't used for a prison, you know, out of sight of the Anaweir who run it, is a complex labyrinth of passageways, extra dungeons, and living quarters for the Warrior Master of the Red Rose."

Leander paused, thinking. "Of course, since the… um, fall, we'll say, of Gregory Wylie, Paige would be the likely successor to the House of the Red Rose – which is a stately mansion, much like this one, somewhere in Lancaster - but, then again, trying to take over the Red Rose compound would be a dangerous endeavor to be sure. More than likely, he'll try to take over the House once he has a stronger position."

Seph didn't like the sound of that. "So, is that why he took Madison, do you think? To… bolster his position?" Seph swallowed.

His father laid a hand on his shoulder, unsure what to say. "The conference is 10 days away, I'm betting he'll have some plan related to that, although how, I don't know."

After a moment of silence, he added, "All I know is, if Madison is still in his control by the conference, the whole Weir world could be in serious trouble."

* * *

They moved her from her cell. Madison had cringed when Dr. Longbranch had come in, replaced her shackles on her wrists with grey sefa cuffs, lifted her from her crouched position on the floor and proceeded to walk her out of her cell, towing her IV behind her.

Standing was a chore, and keeping her balance with the dizzying effects of the anesthesia in her bloodstream was completely impossible, so she leaned heavily on the woman she loathed.

"Where are you taking me?" Madison asked through gritted teeth.

"Well, first we're going to get you clean and dressed, and then Paige will instruct you on your new role, your Highness," she finished with a sickening smile.

Madison shuddered delicately. The malice in the woman's tone was sharp, but what scared Madison more was the acquisitive glint in her eye and the excitement that radiated through her every more. Whatever Dr. Longbranch was so anxiously anticipating could not be good news for Madison.

Madison managed to cling to consciousness throughout the whole ordeal of showering and dressing in what appeared to be long green, medieval-style dress, but by the time Dr. Longbranch had walked her to a large chair on a raised dais in what appeared to be a sparring room, Madison felt her exhaustion beginning to win. Just as her eyes fluttered and her brain flirted with unconsciousness, Paige entered the room with a loud bang of the heavy wooden door.

"Ah, your Highness," he smirked, "So nice to see you up and about." He bowed a low, ironic bow, before bringing his laughing face even with Madison's.

She didn't have the strength to answer.

Paige's smile crumpled. He turned accusing eyes on Dr. Longbranch. "What's the matter with her?" he demanded.

Dr. Longbranch seemed to diminish under his glare, "It's the Weirsbane and the sedatives, my Lord," she stuttered, "They keep her power in check, but make her very tired."

Paige clicked his tongue impatiently. "Well, that won't work. I need her _awake_." He paced. "Remove the IV. We'll administer the Weirsbane orally." He paused, staring hard at Dr. Longbranch, "But keep an eye on her, if she gets out of control, I'll hold you _personally_ responsible." Paige smiled as Longbranch shuddered.

* * *

They decided on a recon mission. Jack, Seph, and Hastings would try to breach the exterior wall of Castle Lancaster, find the prisoners, and try to sneak out unnoticed. The plan was a bit amorphous for Hastings' liking, but they were running out of time and they needed to either get the prisoners or at least get a better idea what Paige was up to.

Using a schematic of the castle, provided by Leander's memory of his last stay there, the boys' divided up the exterior entrance points among themselves and decided – if you can get in unnoticed, go for it, if not, hang back and assist in creating an exit for whomever got in.

Seph had his _dryne sefa_, but Hastings warned him, "The heartstone is an excellent tool, but this castle is ancient. You must expect that it will have measures in place to reveal any unnoticeable assailant." Seph nodded, fiercely hoping that Hastings was wrong.

* * *

In her mock throne in the sparring room, Madison awoke. For the first time in days, her vision wasn't a complete swirl and her dizziness seemed to have abated. Just as she was about to celebrate this improvement, she looked around her and realized 'improvement' really wasn't the right word for her current situation.

Paige was standing before her, staring at her in a way that made her embarrassed and frightened. She looked down to avoid his gaze and found that she was, indeed, dressed in a green medieval-style gown with a low neckline and full skirts. Before she had time to ponder this strange attire, however, she noticed the cuffs on her wrists seemed to have bonded to the arms of the chair, locking her in place. _At least the IV is gone,_ she thought to herself.

But then she was jolted out of her observations by Paige's voice.

"Ah, there you are, Madison," Paige's tongue curled around her name as if he owned it.

Madison's skin crawled.

"Forgive me, we haven't been properly introduced," Paige continued, "I am Simon Paige, but you can call me Master." He finished without a hint of sarcasm.

Madison's eyebrows arched in contempt. "Yea, right." She mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Paige feigned lack of hearing. "I didn't quite catch that."

Madison sat up straight in her chair, " I _said_, Yea Right. I won't call you _Master_, or anything else for that matter."

She expected him to yell or hit her or something, but instead he stood perfectly still, his face a mask of indifference. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry you feel that way," before turning to one of his guards stationed by a side door, and added, "Fetch the boy."

Madison's eyes grew large as the guard dragged Carson's body across the floor, kicking and struggling in the man's grasp, his face purpling from hits he'd already received, his arms and neck scratched from blows he'd already been dealt.

"No," Madison whispered, unable to find her voice.

Paige ignored her. Turning his back on her, he strode over to where Carson lay on the floor, arms and legs bound by iron chains, his chin tucked into his chest as if anticipating another beating.

Tears welled in Madison's eyes at the sight of him.

Without even a backward glance, Paige raised his arms to deliver another blow to the child, and in that same instant, Madison found her voice and screamed, "NO!!"

Paige paused, keeping his back to Madison to hide his growing smile. When he turned, his stoic face had returned.

"Yes?" he asked, innocently.

"Don't hurt him," Madison whispered, "I'll do whatever you want." She dropped her head in defeat.

Paige strode back over to her and repeated her words back to her, "I'll do whatever you want…?"

Madison finished for him, "…Master. I'll do whatever you want, Master." Her voice was barely audible and the tears in her eyes poured silently down her cheeks.

"Excellent!" Paige cried, "Now, let us begin with your duties…" And Paige outlined Madison's new role as Paige's personal slave.

After an hour or so, Madison was spared from Paige's continual lecturing when another of Paige's guards burst through the heavy wooden door at the room's entrance and ran to his side. She strained to overhear…

"We've got company, sire," the guard whispered.

Paige turned his back on Madison and asked, "How many?"

"Two, maybe three, sire, stationed at different entrances to the castle. Should we engage?" the guard asked.

Paige grew silent, and after a moment answered, "Yes… and No…" He turned, and shot a smile at Madison, before walking out of earshot and explaining his wishes to his guard.

* * *

Jack laid in wait at the side entrance on the southern face of the castle. Based on Hastings' schematic, the guards should change every hour and that, at that change, there would 20-30 seconds wherein the door would be completely deserted.

He waited. Finally, the guard moved away. He counted, waiting to see from which direction the next guard would arrive.

10 seconds.

20 seconds.

Still no guard. Jack poised to run. A strange hesitation came over him, as if something were out of place.

He looked at his watch. 30 seconds had gone by, and no guard had appeared. He warred with himself – yes, something felt off, but then again, he'd never get a better chance to get inside than this… Finally, curiosity and the burning desire to see Ellen got the better of him. _Well,_ he thought, _if it's a trap, then the trick will be to just not get caught in it…_

And he plunged through the door into the heart of the castle.

The corridor appeared to be empty. Dark, but empty. He moved silently, passing what appeared to be barracks for the guards, then dining areas. He descended a staircase that led, he imagined, to the dungeons. He passed the cells. They were empty, save for a few remnants that revealed they had recently held prisoners.

Cursing, he climbed another staircase that bent around a series of doors. He stopped at each, listening. But heard nothing. Finally, he reached the top of the staircase, which opened into a large hallway, leading to a heavy wooden door.

The sound of voices pulled him forward. He'd only heard this particular voice once or twice several years ago, but he recognized it immediately. _Simon Paige!_

Instinct taking over, he burst through the door, Shadowslayer raised high, and barreled down on Simon Paige.

* * *

Paige's voice stopped him in his tracks, "Ah, Jack, so nice to see you!" he exclaimed, his voice dripping with insincerity, "I was wondering when you'd stop by."

Jack froze, taking in his surroundings. He stood in the center of a sparring room. Madison perched on a small throne overlooking the proceedings, her eyes wide with fright. Jack noticed the walls were lined with assorted guards and, who else but Dr. Longbranch hovering over Madison's shoulder, looking both frightened and intrigued by Jack's hasty entrance.

"Let them go, Paige." Jack said, trying to keep his voice even. He hadn't seen Ellen or Carson, but he knew they must be around here somewhere.

Paige looked utterly untroubled by Jack's fierce expression, "I'm sorry, Jack, but I can't do that. You see, I have other _uses_ for them." Paige turned his back on Jack, walking toward Madison. "All in all, I really should thank you," he continued, conversationally, "after all, it was _your_ negligence that allowed me to reclaim my property with such ease." Paige smiled hugely as he turned to find Jack running toward him, Shadowslayer poised to cut Paige's head off.

Jack cried a feral yell as he brought the blade down.

And then froze in silence as the blade stopped inches from his throat. Horror struck, Jack looked at Paige. He stood calmly, smiling, and then said, "Sorry Jack, but I can't be hurt." He leaned in and whispered, "She won't let it happen," and his eyes flicked to Madison.

Jack shifted his eyes to her as well. She was straining, her face contorted in agony as she struggled to hold Jack's blade away from Paige, and struggle to retain consciousness as the Weirsbane and the torc tried to inhibit her from using her powers.

With a huff she released the blade and Jack stepped away from Paige. Paige turned his back on Jack again and then said, "And that's only a fraction of her power." He turned and smiled a sick, devious grin. "Just think what I'll be capable of once I've tamed the beast."

Madison looked like she was going to be sick.

"But first, I'm going to have to ask you to put down your weapon," Paige asked sweetly, we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, would we?"

Jack looked up to see a dozen guards bearing down on him. He backed toward the door, not wanting to let them cut off his only exit. His eyes met Madison's for a quick second, and suddenly she shouted, "RUN!!"

Jack didn't need more encouragement, and he turned and tore toward the door. The guards were bearing down on him and he knew he wouldn't make it to the door before they grabbed him. He braced for impact and kept running.

At the last second, he looked up to see them hit him, but the guards on both sides of him crumpled to the ground as if they'd run into an invisible barrier on either side of him. _Guess Maddie's not so easy to tame after all_, Jack thought, and kept running.

* * *

Back in the sparring room, Paige was screaming.

"Guards! Seize him!! Bring him back, no matter what!" Paige screamed. The guards scrambled to their feet and raced after Jack.

"What the Hell was that?!?!?" his furious glare washed over Madison and landed on Dr. Longbranch. "You were supposed to keep that from happening!" he cried.

She turned a shade of bright red, and answered, "I didn't know she could do that! She still has a TON of Weirsbane in her system!"

Paige's eyes became dangerous, "Well, then I guess she better have some more then," he spat through gritted teeth. Dr. Longbranch seized her face and poured the sweet liquid down Madison's throat. She coughed and sputtered, but soon felt the numbing sensation of the Weirsbane in her body and mind.

He motioned to his guards before turning back to Madison, "You didn't think I'd let you get away with that little stunt, did you?" he murmured dangerously.

Madison felt her mouth go dry when the guards brought Carson and Ellen into the center of the sparring room floor. "No, please," she murmured, knowing it would do no good this time.

As Ellen drew closer, Madison gasped. She was a mess. Obviously when Paige wasn't lecturing her on her new role as Dragon Slave, he was spending some quality time pounding Ellen into a bloody pulp.

She wasn't bound in chains like Carson, but she had the same cuffs on her wrists as Madison and a collar around her neck. Madison didn't know what that particular torc did, but based on the redness around Ellen's neck, she knew it wasn't the same as hers.

Ellen's face was a stoic mask of pain. She walked in under her own power, but she neither looked at Madison, nor anyone else, for that matter. Her chin held high, she simply stared off into space. Her stoic mask was completely unbreakable, until the guards kicked Carson because he was moving too slowly and the little boy fell to the ground sobbing. Ellen winced visibly before replacing her impassive mask.

Madison couldn't fathom what Paige was going to do next, so when he stood as if waiting, she couldn't help but hold her breath.

After a long moment, he smiled slightly and turned to face the heavy wooden door.

To Madison's horror, somehow Paige's guards had managed to catch and subdue Jack and they were leading him back into the sparring room.

Jacks' face was bloody and purpling, but when he saw Ellen alive and standing under her own power, his eyes lit up. Ellen had her back to Jack, and despite Paige's welcome, she didn't turn to look at him.

"Jack," Paige chimed, "I'm glad you're back. We weren't completely finished with our business. You see, there's a few more things I need to show you." He smiled his crocodile smile.

The guards led Jack to the center of the room and released the immobilization spell that had allowed them to return him to this space. He stood unarmed, as the guards had retained possession of Shadowslayer, and watched helplessly as Paige's guards led Ellen from her place in front of Madison, to a side of the room only a few paces from his reach. They turned her to face him.

She didn't fight. But when her eyes took in Jack's form in front of her, she refused to meet his eyes.

Jack's hands balled into tight fists at the sight of Ellen. She was bloody and bruised and the torc around her neck left red rings around her throat. Jack noticed the grey cuffs on her wrists bit into her flesh. In a moment of rage, he forgot the situation and took a step toward Ellen.

Ellen's face contorted in pain, her body collapsing onto one knee, effectively freezing Jack in his place.

"Ah, ah, ah," Paige chided when Jack moved, "Sorry Jack, but you're close enough."

"Handy collar though," Paige continued, "Don't you think?" He paced around Ellen and pulled her to her feet, surveying his prize possession with an air of ownership that turned Jack's stomach.

"You never had the _pleasure_ of training with me, Jack, so I bet you are unfamiliar with the _discipline collar_." He smiled as the words hit Jack. "It's quite an effective training tool, really." He looked over at the Carson across the room. "Too bad he hasn't manifested yet, it'd be easier to train them together."

"You've taught my warrior some bad habits, Jack," Paige continued as Jack silently shook with rage, "Oh well," he sighed theatrically, "I'll just have to _beat_ them out of her." He smiled.

At this Jack lunged forward, unable to control himself, and was shocked when Ellen was suddenly lifted up into the air by her wrists, her arms spread wide, like a letter X in mid-air.

Jack stopped when Ellen audibly gasped.

"Stop." Jack commanded, his voice a deadened monotone.

Paige laughed, "I'm glad I got to show you my sefa cuffs. They're my favorite really. They respond to magic, so they'll meld into one, or into another object, for instance as in young Madison's chair," he gestured, "Or do just about _anything_ else," he added, a sick laugh building in his chest.

He returned his gaze to Ellen, "They are particularly useful when it comes to dislocating someone's shoulders," Paige added demonically, "Would you like to see?"

Ellen moaned again, the cuffs pulling her arms from their sockets.

"No!" Jack cried, "Stop!" He felt himself fall to his knees in defeat.

Paige cried with delighted laughter, and let Ellen fall back to the ground. "Well, I see I have your attention now." He strode over to a small table on the dais near Madison's chair and removed a sealed envelope.

"As you can see, Jack, the allocation of power has already begun to shift. I intend to make this shift permanent. Inside are my _suggestions_, shall we say, about how the interguild convention should proceed. I expect to hear from Hastings on the status of these demands within three days, or I will implement my own strategy for, let's say, _uniting_ the guilds." He smiled at his own private joke.

Jack stood, unable to believe that Paige was going to let him walk out, and deep down not wanting to leave Ellen alone to be tortured by this madman. Sensing he had little choice in the matter, he accepted the letter, and his sword, and turned to leave.

As he turned, he stopped to stare at Ellen once more. Her eyes were unfocused, clouded with pain, but as she felt Jack's gaze on her face, she allowed herself one look at his face.

For a second her stoic expression broke into one of inexpressible agony and longing. It cut Jack's heart like a knife. But as he looked, she solidified her expression again and he knew she'd never stop fighting.

He'd just have to get her out before the fight killed her.


	14. Descent

**Forgive me - this is yet another Highly Dramatic and Decidedly Emotional chapter that delves even a bit deeper into the darker themes from previous chapters. **

**Bear with me, our Heroes will find a way out of it somehow...**

**(This is my first T rated fanfiction, so if I start to delve too far into M territory, please let me know).**

**OH - And just for the record, Yes, I DO quote a passage from Chima's Dragon Heir. You will notice the parenthetical citations marking the quoted portions. Additionally, they appear in italics so they are easily distinguished from my text. I DO NOT own these passages. They just happen to TOTALLY work with my chapter. I DO NOT own any of the characters, story lines, or anything related to the work and property of Ms. Chima. Just so we're clear.**

**That said, Please Review!**

**Enjoy~**

**~TLD  
**

**Part Fourteen: Descent**

Jack realized as he walked out of Paige's castle that he was not simply being allowed to leave, he was being escorted out. This fact didn't bother him. In fact, it made him slightly at ease – if he were being escorted there was a less likely chance that he'd suddenly find a knife in his back. Still, he kept his guard up and let his escorts direct his steps.

Outside, Seph and Hastings were engaged in two separate, equally dire battles with Paige's outer guards. On opposite ends of the castle, Seph and Hastings were maintaining their positions for the simple fact that Jack had not come around to get them – the sign that he'd either a) gotten in and out or b) that his position had been compromised and that they should all retreat. They'd agreed to wait 20 minutes from the time Jack would attempt his entrance before Seph or Hastings would try theirs; however, a mere 5 minutes after Jack was supposed to attempt entrance, Paige's guards had opened fire on Seph and Hastings. They simultaneously hoped that this meant that Jack's entrance had gone unnoticed.

Just as 20 minutes elapsed, Seph was thinking of retreating to the rendezvous point, hoping that the fact that Jack had not returned wasn't a sign that something horrible had happened to him, when, suddenly, the guards ceased their fire.

Seph stood up and moved out from behind the stone outcropping in which he'd been hiding to get a better look at what had stopped the onslaught. That's when he saw Jack.

Flanked by at least a half dozen guards, Jack was being escorted along the top of the battlements, nearly a 50 foot drop to the ground below.

_Where are they taking him?_ Seph suddenly wondered.

_Crap,_ Jack thought. Suddenly being _escorted_ out didn't seem like such a good thing.

The guards stopped at the ridge of the battlements and Jack looked down with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Suddenly, one of the guards spoke.

"Mr. Swift, Master Paige commands that you be escorted out of his castle and kindly requests that you not return." The guard's serious voice turned up into a smile at the end of his little speech. With a small nod, all six guards thrust out at Jack, hitting him with a wall of air powerful enough to send him sprawling over the edge of the battlements.

Seph watched in amazement, "Jack!" he cried, and, jumping out from behind his rock, he pushed out with everything he had, trying to slow Jack down and cushion his fall to the cruel pavement below.

Seph strained with the effort, trying not to be distracted by Jack's agonized yell as he fell. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his heart pounded with fear and exertion.

At first, Jack fought against the fall. _If I can just find something to grab hold of_, Jack thought. His body thrashed and twisted, trying to find something to slow him down. But as he fell through space, dimly noting that in any second he would be crushed on the pavement, he closed his eyes and said a silent prayer.

The last thing he saw was Ellen's smiling face etched on the inside of his closed eyelids.

Then darkness wrapped around him.

* * *

"Shit, Seph, what happened?" a loud scratchy voice boomed in Jack's ear.

"They tossed him! Over the edge!" Seph's voice was hysterical, high and shaky.

Hasting cursed a low oath, "Is he alive? Breathing?"

Jack felt hands on his face and neck, but he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes or speak.

"Yeah, I think so. I slowed him down pretty good, but he still cracked his head pretty hard on the pavement," Seph's voice was muffled, as if he'd buried his head in his hands.

"You did good," Hasting's voice cut through. "He'll be fine. He's strong."

And then he slipped back into nothingness.

* * *

Back inside the castle, Paige's guards burst back into the sparring room, smug grins across their faces.

Paige looked up at their entrance and, in an offhanded voice, asked, "Mission accomplished?"

The lead guard smirked. "He fell like a stone," he replied, as his fellow guards stifled their laughter.

Paige's eyes rested heavily on Ellen's face, relishing as her stoic mask fell away completely and was replaced by sheer, unmitigated horror. Paige smiled and threw a smirk Madison's way. Silent tears were running down her cheeks.

Paige returned to his guards, "And my letter? Are you certain it was delivered?" he asked, business-like.

The guards snapped to attention, the smiles almost, but not quite leaving their faces. Only the head guard retained his joking demeanor.

"Oh, I'm certain they got the _message_," he smirked, but faltered under Paige's displeased glare, "Sir," he added, wiping the grin from his face and snapping to attention like his subordinates.

"Excellent," Paige replied, the smile returning to his face. "That will be all," he waved off his guards with an offhanded gesture and they stumbled in their haste to leave the room.

He turned, returning his attention to his captive audience, striding across the room like a king surveying his kingdom.

In the silence following the guards' departure, a small, soft voice cut the air.

"Why?" Madison's voice wavered with fear. "What do you want from us?" she whispered.

Paige approached Madison, moving slowly and menacingly. Although she wanted to duck her chin in fear, she held her head high. But she couldn't stop the tears that were streaming steadily down her cheeks.

Paige came close to Madison, so close that she sat back in her chair to get away from him. He laid his hands on her wrists and leaned in close to her face.

He whispered, "I want to remake the world." He reached up and pushed a stray hair out of Madison's face. She cringed under his touch. "And you are going to help me," he finished, cupping Madison's face with his hand, ignoring her cringing.

He released her face and started to move away, but then Madison spoke again. Mustering her courage, she swallowed her fear and said, "I'll help you. I swear, I'll do whatever you want," she swallowed the sob that was rising in her throat, "but _please_, _PLEASE_," she sobbed, "_please_ let them go." She gestured with her eyes toward Ellen and Carson.

Paige followed Madison's gaze. Carson was curled up on the floor, shaking silently, his chin tucked into knees. Ellen was kneeling nearby. In contrast to Madison's pouring tears, Ellen's eyes were dry. She looked vacantly into space, her eyes empty, her expression – defeated. The fight in her, extinguished.

Madison felt her heart breaking as she looked at Ellen. In contrast, Paige smirked.

He turned back to Madison, stared deeply into her eyes, and whispered, "But they illustrate my point perfectly." He leaned into her. "_Everyone_ is expendable." He let the word linger. His voice became menacing. "If you cross me, I _promise_ you_;_ you will watch every person you've ever cared about _die_ at my hands."

He smiled an evil, toothy grin. "Slowly."

He reached up and held her face again, gripping her chin to prevent her from shying away from his touch. Her sobs were now racking her chest and her vision was blurred with unshed tears. "Now, do we understand each other?" he asked in a patronizing tone.

Madison simply nodded, unable to make a sound through her terror.

* * *

Across town, Jack's head was cold.

He opened his eyes to find Seph hovering over him, his hand conjuring a ball of ice and holding that ice to Jack's aching head. Jack's vision was blurry, but it was a great improvement over the last time he'd gained consciousness. He was pleased that his eyes still worked. He decided to try speaking.

"Seph?" he croaked.

Seph's eyes lit up, "Hey man," he croaked back, his own voice rough with stress. "How're you feeling?"

Jack tried to sit up, but stopped as pain laced up and down his body, stealing his breath and making his head spin. "Ugh," he groaned, "Like I fell 50 feet from a castle wall."

Seph cracked a smile.

"But I'm alive," Jack continued, closing his eyes against the pain. Eyes closed, he said, "I owe you one, man. Thanks."

Seph nodded, suddenly unable to speak.

Seph wanted to let him sleep, but he couldn't hold back the question, "Jack, what _happened_ in there?"

Jack opened his eyes, and the horror that Seph saw in them made his blood run cold.

"It's worse than we could have ever imagined." Jack's voice was hollow and thin, as if suddenly, horribly breakable. He suddenly remembered the message Paige wanted him to deliver and he removed the letter from his pocket, wincing in pain. "Here," he said, and handed the envelope to Seph.

He heaved a heavy sigh and then slipped back into unconsciousness.

* * *

Paige had elected six guards to escort Ellen and Carson back to their cell. Under normal circumstances, six guards would never have been a match for Ellen. But with her cuffs and collar, she knew that even a single word from one of their mouths would have her writhing on the floor in agony.

_I guess I should be flattered_, Ellen thought wryly. Despite her vulnerable position, Paige obviously thought her dangerous enough to merit a guard of six wizards. Normally such a thought would have made her smile, but at the moment she couldn't imagine ever smiling again.

She'd lived through a time when her day-to-day life was a constant Hell, when the only time she smiled was when she was playing a part, pretending to be a normal teenager when she was really anything but. But since she'd met Jack, she'd learned what a true, sincere, happy smile felt like. In the face of the future she saw stretching ahead of her, she almost wished she hadn't. The hole in her chest left by Jack being ripped from her life was a million times more painful than any wound she'd ever felt and, she believed, more deadly than any wound that Paige had yet to inflict.

Against her will, she thought of Jack's face. _I take it back,_ she thought. However much pain she could have been saved if she'd never known the feeling of Jack's love could never outweigh the joy he'd brought into her life. _I'll see you again_, she promised him, thinking of the ghost warriors waiting on the other side.

But Ellen wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. Jack was the self-sacrificing one. Ellen liked to win. No matter the odds. Plus, she thought, looking over at Carson, _He needs me_. Not to mention the fact that she wasn't going down unless she took Paige with her.

In their absence from the cell, someone had brought in cots. Ellen raised an eyebrow at their pathetic living quarters and then looked at Carson.

"Well, it's not the Hilton, but we'll take it," she whispered sarcastically and then smiled despite herself as her little brother's face lit up at her joke.

* * *

In her cot in her own cell, Madison dreamed a dream she hadn't had in many months.

_Torches guttered in sconces along the walls, painting the great stone hall in reds and yellows. Prisoners processed up the aisle to the altar at the front, chains clanking, clad in rough-spun hooded robes that bore the insignias of their Houses. The Red Rose. The White Rose. The Silver Bear. The Dragon. In an endless line. The executioner stood beside the altar_… [Chima, Dragon Heir, p. 295]

Maddie's subconscious mind shied away, knowing full well whose face was hidden beneath the executioner's hood… but the dream continued…

_A clerk stood alongside, reading from a parchment, calling names, confirming sentences. Many of the names were familiar: Leander Hastings, Linda Downey… Jackson Swift, Joseph McCauley_... _The charge: Anarchy…_ _Each of the condemned knelt at the altar and mutely laid his head upon the stone… _[Chima, Dragon Heir, p. 296]

Maddie subconsciously pinched herself, afraid to watch what she knew would follow – her loved ones bursting into flame at her command. But as she struggled to wake, she saw a change in her dream. Standing alongside the executioner, his hand laid heavily on her shoulder, his smirking face laughing over the ghastly proceedings, was Simon Paige, newly appointed Dragon Master.

Madison awoke screaming.


	15. What Can and Cannot Be Done

**More and more. Hope you're keeping up with me : )**

**Please Review**

**Enjoy~**

**~TLD  
**

* * *

**Part Fifteen: What Can and Cannot Be Done**

The next morning, Paige strode down into the dungeons to enjoy the sight of his conquered prisoners. It'd been nearly eight hours since he'd tortured or intimidated someone, so he was missing the high it gave him. It was time for another fix.

The guards along the dungeon corridor snapped to attention as he entered. He waved them off, hoping to sneak up on his prisoners while they slept. His face of anticipation fell when he approached Ellen's cell, only to find her standing as if waiting for his arrival.

Her face had returned to the impassive mask of the warrior, the strong disciplined expression that could mean anything. Paige felt a small remnant of what normal people might call pride. But this was more like pride dogfighters feel for their prize Pitt Bull – the same one they'd just as soon kill once it stopped winning.

"Good morning," Paige chimed, as if speaking to a guest at his home. He smiled.

Ellen didn't smile back.

"I'd like to begin the boy's training," Ellen stated clearly and without emotion.

Paige crossed his arms around his chest, considering her request. "And why would I let you do that?" he asked.

"They boy is untrained. He is nearly 13. Without some direction he will be useless when he manifests, not to mention, much harder to direct." Ellen answered, clinically.

Paige smiled, "Yes, of course. What I meant was, why would I let _you_ train the boy?"

To this Ellen's eyebrows arched and her voice slipped into the menacing voice of a seasoned killer. "It's what I do best," she paused, "Isn't that right?" She stared him down, internally smiling at the way his face seemed to pale at the sight of her.

After a moment, he accepted. "Very well, but you will be escorted to the workout room where your training sessions will be overseen by the entirety of my non-patrolling guard."

Ellen ducked her head in mock deference.

As the guard released Ellen and Carson from their cell, Paige commanded to the head guard, loud enough for Ellen and Carson to hear, "She is in your hands. If she so much as _moves_ in a way not related to training the boy, her _discipline_ is in your hands."

The guard bowed solemnly and led the warriors to the training room.

As they walked, Ellen had a vague feeling of déjà vu, as if she'd been here before. Indistinct images came back to her. But it wasn't until they entered the training room, that Ellen remembered properly.

She'd been maybe three or four. It must have been soon after she was stolen from her parents. They hadn't stayed in this castle very long. Paige had taught her to tumble in this room. She'd enjoy the running and jumping, like it was some kind of game. But soon after they'd arrived, Paige had discovered that one of the housekeepers was a spy for the White Rose, and, upon duly executing the woman, they'd been forced to leave the castle and go on the run – just in case any other White Rose spy had the idea to check the castle for a Red Rose warrior.

The room was different from what she remembered. Weapons lined the walls and mats lined the floors. Just being so near the assorted weaponry made her body itch and ache to take one in her hands and massacre the cocky wizard guards that circled the room.

She took a deep cleansing breath. _Just focus on training Carson,_ she reminded herself.

She'd come up with the plan in her sleep. The boy needed some exercise and something to distract him from his fear. And, she thought, a little training could go a long way.

_This way_, she thought, _no matter how this thing ends, at least Carson might get out alive._

She surfaced from her reverie to find Carson standing in front her, waiting patiently, his eyes wide and his expression excited. She smiled.

"Let's begin," she said, and she introduced Carson to basics of self-defense.

* * *

Back in her cell, Madison looked up into the face of Simon Paige. He looked ready to say something. And she wished he would. His silent staring made her uncomfortable.

Just as he opened his mouth, Dr. Longbranch burst into the dungeon corridor.

She faltered when she saw Paige, and nearly dropped the bottle of Weirsbane clutched tightly in her grasp.

"M-my Lord," she stuttered.

At the sight of her, Paige smiled and lifted a hand to her face. She winced visibly as if expecting to be struck, but he merely wrapped his hand behind her head and ran his fingers through her hair.

Dr. Longbranch looked up, blushing slightly as she met his eyes.

Something passed between them that both confused and disgusted Madison, so she adverted her eyes.

Seeming to forget the purpose of her journey to the dungeons, Dr. Longbranch spoke again, her voice stronger, "My Lord, would you spare a few moments to speak with me? In private?" she added, her eyes flicking to Madison.

Paige drew her into his arms and murmured, "Absolutely."

Dr. Longbranch gently extricated herself from Paige's grasp and led the way out of the dungeons.

* * *

In her cell, Madison sighed with her relief – not only from being rid of Paige and Dr. Longbranch, but also from managing to escape, however briefly from yet another dose of Weirsbane.

Since they'd removed the IV, she had gone an entire night without another dose of Weirsbane and the feeling was amazing. The torc and the assorted sefas in her cell pushed her powers so deep within her that she could barely touch them, but at least she could feel them and could feel her mind and body working without the dulling effects of the sickeningly sweet liquid.

As had become her habit whenever she felt the Weirsbane out of her system, Madison ran an inventory of her powers, checking to see what she could and couldn't do. She felt the fire in the air, felt her ability to harden the air under her fingers. She could _almost_ feel the stones of the Weir in the castle. She pouted. The one power she was desperate to use was the one that had saved them during the Seige of Trinity. She wanted to so badly to use the lady's voice and call out to Paige, bring him marching to her under her power, and rip the Weirstone from his chest. She stretched out her powers toward him.

_Maybe_, she thought, _just maybe._ She dug deep for that voice, but it was too insubstantial. Every time she thought she had it, it slipped through her fingers like grains of sand. She huffed.

But then she froze. _This is new_, she thought. Since her imprisonment, she hadn't been able to eavesdrop the way she occasionally had at the mansion at Dragon's Ghyll. She'd never had the strength to feel the stones and see the whereabouts of people near her with all the torcs and sefas about and the Weirsbane in her veins. Apparently, this skill had finally broken the control of the Weirsbane.

She listened and watched as Paige and Dr. Longbranch's conversation turned into an argument.

"It only makes sense to know what the girl is capable of," said Dr. Longbranch, her voice urgent and persuasive.

"And what of it?" Paige answered, his voice and demeanor clearly revealing his indifference.

Dr. Longbranch was not to be deterred. "Well, is it or is it not still your intention to create an army of Weir for your own personal use?" she asked. She didn't let him answer. "Wouldn't it make sense to know if the girl is actually capable of _giving_ power in that way?"

Paige smiled. "And what sort of test did you have in mind?" He was toying with her now.

Dr. Longbranch swallowed before attempting a seductive smile. She sauntered closer to Paige, hoping, it seemed, that if her words were not enough persuasion, her body might be. "Well," she started slowly. She brought her hand up to Paige's face, caressing his cheek. "The girl did _steal_ my stone from me," she pouted. Her eyes lit with ferocious hunger. "Let's see if she can do something as simple as give it back." She smiled at the encouraging look on Paige's face. "If she can't do even that, well…" she added in an offhanded tone, turning her back on Paige and slowly sauntering away.

With a sudden move, he grabbed her wrist and spun her to face him. His eyes were alight with fun.

"And what sort of stone would suit you?" he laughed, pulling her closer. "How about a warrior stone?" he laughed at her face, gaping in horror. "Or what about a sorcerer's?" She pulled on his arm, trying to slip away, her mouth gaping open.

"No… no…" she murmured.

"Oh, I know!" he shouted, delighting in her misery. "A seer's stone!!"

Dr. Longbranch ripped her arm free and backed away, "No! No, please! I take it back!"

She cowered, her back against the wall.

Paige strode slowly over to her and took her face in his hands.

"I could be selfish, of course, and have the girl give you an enchanter's stone," he paused, listening to Dr. Longbranch's whimpers. And then whispered into her ear, "But I'm afraid, given even that much power, you would be far too dangerous, my dear."

With a hearty laugh, he left her to catch her breath, her body leaned heavily against the wall, her chest heaving.

"Besides, Jessamine, I have a much greater interest in the girl's ability to _remove_ Weirstones," said Paige. His face contorted with malice, "I can't wait to see the look on Leander Hastings' face when she rips his stone from his chest." He laughed. "By the time I'm through, the only wizards entitled to keep their stones will be ones directly under my control," he cackled.

Jessamine slumped against the wall, too stunned to move or speak. Finally, Paige noticed her, and scolded her.

"Don't you have duties to attend to?" Paige snapped. Dr. Longbranch jumped to attention and scurried back into the dungeon to administer Madison's Weirsbane.

As she waited for Dr. Longbranch to appear, Madison focused on controlling her breathing.

_Oh boy, _she thought, _this is sooooo not good._ And she braced herself for another day that seemed on course to be worse than the last.

* * *

Back at the mansion in Dragon's Ghyll. Jack was resting comfortably in his expansive bed. He opened his eyes to find Will sleeping in an armchair by his bedside. He looked bad, Jack thought – like he hadn't sleep in days.

Jack struggled to sit up.

"Will," Jack croaked. His voice was barely above a whisper. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Will?"

Will shook himself awake to find Jack sitting up in bed. He smiled despite himself. Before he could get a word out, Jack spoke again.

"Go get some sleep, man. You look like Hell," Jack said.

Will laughed. "Look who's talking. I don't know if you've looked in a mirror lately, but you're one big bruise."

Jack cringed, "Am I? Great," he added sarcastically. "Well, blue's always been my color."

Will snorted. Before he could say more, Jack's room suddenly became very crowded.

His aunt was the first to his bedside, checking his temperature and the bump the size of a baseball on the back of his head. Jack stifled a wince. Fitch came bounding in and picked a seat at the foot of Jack's bed. His laughing face was unusually serious, but he smiled at the sight of Jack awake and sitting up. Seph and Hastings lined the walls of the room, Seph choosing a seat on the windowsill and Hastings hovering uncomfortably just inside the door.

Jack's eyes followed Seph to the window. He noticed his face was drawn and his eyes bloodshot. Seph couldn't hold Jack's gaze and instead alternated between staring at his feet and gazing out the window.

Finally, Grace and J.R. peeked their heads in the door. Grace simply smiled a small smile and gave Jack a little nod. J.R. stage whispered, "Is he OK?" loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Grace shushed him, but Jack chuckled slightly.

"Yea, I'm OK, kiddo," Jack answered.

Grace scolded her brother, "OK, you saw him, let's go," and then smiled apologetically at Jack and pulled her brother back out of the room.

The silence in their wake made Jack uncomfortable. Finally, he spoke, "Alright. So what did Paige's letter say?"

Everyone twitched uncomfortably, save for Seph who dropped his head in his hands.

Leander unfolded a paper in his hands, looked at it for a moment, and then handed it over to Linda as if he couldn't bear to read it again. She cleared her throat and then began:

_Friends and Fellow Weir_,

_Since the destruction of the covenant that had once bound us, the Weir world has suffered from the chaos inherent in the lack of clearly established leadership. I am prepared to remedy this situation._

_I know that you are aware of the power that I possess. And I assure you that I am prepared to demonstrate the extent of this power if and when any might act on the misguided intention to defy me. Know that I have broken this power to my will. _

_The Dragon is now mine, and mine alone, to control._

_In five days from now, your interguild conference is set to take place in Dragon's Ghyll. You have three days to respond to this letter and to accept my conditions. After that time, you will be counted among the enemies of the Dragon Master and subject to his swift and unmitigated justice._

_The Silver Bear has proven itself a strong and powerful House. I invite you to unite, as you once did, under the sign of the Dragon. There would be a place for all of you in my court._

_Join me and help remake the world. Defy me and suffer my displeasure._

_Meet me on the northernmost boundary of Dragon's Ghyll at dawn on the third day to discuss the specifics of my demands and to show your allegiance to me and to the Dragon. Fail to show up, and you should be prepared to pick up the body of one of your beloved warriors instead. Additionally, if any news of our arrangement leaks before I've had the pleasure of introducing myself to the Weir world personally, I may find that all of my captives suddenly depreciate in value._

_Do not cultivate the foolish desire to oppose me, or you will feel the wrath of a power you can scarcely imagine._

_ Until we meet again,_

_ His Highness, Dragon Master Paige_

Linda finished the letter and the group slipped back into silence.

Seph had turned his back on the group and was staring determinedly out the window, his arms wrapped tightly around his chest. Jack felt like the breath in his lungs had been kicked out of him. He leaned back against his pillows and stared up at the ceiling.

Will broke the silence. "So, what're we going to do?" he paused, and then added, "What _can_ we do?" hopelessness filtering into his tone.

Seph's voice was low and muffled, "We have to meet him." He didn't turn around, or look up. Even so, he expected Leander's voice when he spoke.

"We can't," he said.

Linda expected Seph to jump on the offensive. Instead the shouting came from Jack.

"CAN'T?" shouted Jack, incredulously. He shot out of bed, gasping with sudden pain. Will's hand grabbed his shoulder, pushing him back in bed.

Leander looked unhappy. "It's a trap," he said simply.

Jack spoke through gritted teeth, trying to remain calm despite the fury that was building inside him. "He'll kill Ellen if we don't show," he spat, between gritted teeth.

Leander was pacing, "And if we show up," he said, patiently, "Paige's leverage triples and he effectively gets a half dozen more hostages." His voice started to rise, "Not to mention whatever his bigger plan is. If we go along with him, how many other people are we putting at risk? You read it, he wants to 'unite' the guilds under him. We've heard that line before," he added, irritation heavy in his voice.

Finally, Seph turned. He leaned against the windowsill, arms crossed and head bowed. His voice and his eyes were dead when he spoke. "We have no choice."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Fitch whispered, "Would he really…" he struggled with the word, "kill… Ellen?"

Without hesitation, Jack and Hastings said in unison, "Yes."

Jack laid his head back against the pillow, squinting his eyes to try and push away the image of Ellen's bruised and bloody face.

* * *

They argued and debated for what seemed like hours.

Finally, Seph couldn't stand it anymore, the rage building inside of him like an unquenchable fire. He felt himself grow hot and suddenly he knew he had to get out of the house. He stormed out of the room. No one bothered to stop him. And he didn't stop moving until he crumpled to his knees beside the stream that he and Madison had loved to visit.

With an unbridled scream, his flesh burst into flame and fire coalesced on the tips of his fingers. Tears streamed freely down his cheeks, evaporating the moment they touched his burning face. And he wept and burned until his rage disintegrated to ash. In its place, he felt an emptiness that seemed to eat away at him.

As the sun set, Seph sat, unmoving on the stream bank, wallowing in misery and praying for a way, _any_ way to save his friends and get Maddie back.

_Maddie_, he thought desperately. For a wild moment, he expected to hear her call his name, but in the silence that followed, Seph felt his heart breaking.

_Maddie, I love you, _he thought, willing his feelings to find her. _Maddie, I'm sorry_.

The mantra repeated over and over in his head throughout the night.

It was just before dawn, somewhere between wakefulness and slumber, when Seph felt a strange yet familiar warmth in his heart. He closed his eyes and was suddenly overwhelmed by an image of Maddie resting her head against his chest, her hand laid softly over his heart. As the image faded, he could almost, _almost_ hear her soft voice saying, _Seph, I love you, too_.

And as dawn broke, Seph arose and went back to the house. A new determination filled him. Right or wrong, he knew what he was capable of living with, and what he was not. For better or worse, he knew what he had to do.


	16. Trading Sides

**Hope you Enjoy!**

**Please Review**

**~TLD  
**

**Part Sixteen: Trading Sides**

"Get them cleaned and dressed," Paige barked at Dr. Longbranch and the assorted female Anaweir servants that seemed to appear out of thin air whenever Paige beckoned them.

"What's going on?" Madison inquired before she could stop herself. At Paige's glare, she added, "Sir."

Paige smiled and rocked back on his heels, "Today we discover if your little friends have decided to join us or die," he answer, relishing that final word and the effect it had on Madison.

It was early on the day before the meeting was to take place on the border of Dragon's Ghyll. The heirs were unusually quiet, each generally keeping to him or herself. Linda watched Seph continually withdraw from company. He didn't speak or look at anyone, but his eyes burned with a feverish look. She couldn't hide her concern.

"Leave him be," Leander had said gently, "He's alright. When he wants to share, he will." But Linda's worry couldn't be squashed. She followed Seph in his wanderings at what she thought was a discrete distance.

"I'm OK, Mom," Seph called to her, his back turned to her. She blushed. She'd thought he hadn't noticed her.

She sighed. "Your father said as much. But I don't believe either of you," she finished softly.

Seph turned, and striding over to his mother, he caught her in a hug. He sighed and said, "My parents taught me that sometimes we must make sacrifices to protect the ones we love." He looked her in the eyes. "You have to trust me."

He hugged her again, and said, "I love you, Mom," before turning away to keep his own company.

"I love you too, Seph," Linda whispered to the silence in Seph's wake.

* * *

It was 3 am when Jack heard someone enter his room.

He tensed, wondering how far away Shadowslayer was from his bed and if he had the strength to wrestle his opponent into submission. Just as he was about to jump out of bed, a soft voice whispered, "Jack, it's just me, Seph. Don't kill me."

Jack heard Seph chuckle as he slumped back against the pillows.

Jack turned on the bedside lamp, rubbing his eyes. "What's up?" he mumbled.

Seph took a deep breath. "I'm going to meet Paige at dawn."

Jack sat up straighter, "OK. I'm coming with you."

Seph's eyes were sad. He rubbed the back of his neck, not wanting to continue.

"You can't." Seph said. Before Jack could protest, Seph whispered, "Wait. Hear me out."

Jack paused, holding his breath. _This had better be good_, he thought.

* * *

In the end, Jack didn't like the plan. Seph said he'd run part of it by Hastings as well, but that no one else knew the specifics. "Tell them after I've gone," he'd said. "They won't like it and we don't have time for debate."

Jack had argued.

"We can't win," Seph had said. "Either Ellen and Maddie die, or we and countless other enemies of Paige die or become enslaved."

Jack saw the sense in it, but he still didn't like it.

* * *

Paige stood on the boundary of Dragon's Ghyll, inhaling deeply the sweet fresh smell of the Ghyll in summer. Their meeting place was clear. A boundary of sefa stones separated the land of the Ghyll from the surrounding hills and settlements. Paige settled his entourage on the outer side.

Madison was shaking. Whether it was with anticipation or fear, she didn't know. She was desperate to see Seph, but if he came, she knew he would be putting himself in horrible danger, from Paige, from her. She shuddered. _I'll die first_. She didn't know how, but if Paige tried to make her hurt her friends, she knew…_ I can't. I won't._ And as the minutes ticked away before dawn, Madison shook.

Ellen and Carson were stationed at Paige's right hand, surrounded by a ring of guards, their hands shackled. Carson looked overjoyed to be outside, staring at the sky liked he'd never seen it before. Ellen stood stock still with stress, knowing that whatever happened next could not be good for her or Carson. She knew her friends loved her, but she also knew it was not strategically sound to send a party to negotiate with Paige. Then again, her friends hardly ever acted along what one would call strategically sound plans. She smiled slightly and then fell back into worry. She kept her eyes and ears alert for any chance of escape.

The sun peeked over the horizon, and like a wraith, Seph appeared out of the mist.

Trailing behind him, looking more than a little apprehensive, were Will and Fitch. Paige had to control his expression to keep from gawking at Seph's strange choice of companions.

Seph's eyes bore into Paige's, but as he reached the boundary, his gaze slipped over to Madison's face. Silent tears were dripping from her eyes. Tearing his gaze from her felt like a knife in his heart. But he had to focus on the task at hand.

"Ah, Seph is it?" Paige asked, flicking his eyes to Dr. Longbranch for confirmation. She nodded furiously, fear evident in her stilted movements. "A pleasure to meet you," Paige continued, "I've heard much about you," smiling politely.

Seph forced his face into a neutral expression, trying to keep it from contorting into the disgust he was feeling.

"Mr. Paige, I presume," he answered, politely, and then waited for some signal that the pleasantries were at an end and that real business could be discussed. He directed his gaze at Ellen and Carson. They'd been cleaned up, he saw. But both Ellen and Carson had barely healed scars across their faces and arms, and Seph thought Ellen's face seemed a bit puffier than when he'd last seen her. His eyes narrowed in anger.

Paige reclaimed his attention. "I have to say, I'm a bit surprised that Hastings opted to send his _son_ rather than attend himself," Paige mocked, trying to goad Seph.

Seph shrugged, internally smiling at how his nonchalance irritated Paige.

Paige glared, annoyance crumbling his expression.

Finally, Seph spoke in an offhand tone, "He has his priorities, and I have mine." Paige picked up on a note of hostility in his voice. He smiled.

"And those are?" he prompted, grinning like a crocodile staring down dinner.

Seph leaned in to Paige, lowering his voice. "Perhaps we could discuss these matters more privately?" He gestured to Dr. Longbranch and the guards with his eyes.

Paige was intrigued, but not stupid. He weighed the pros and cons. In the end, he motioned that his guards and prisoners should back away 20 paces – giving them enough conversational privacy, but not so far that they couldn't incinerate Seph if he tried to attack.

Once they'd moved out of earshot, Seph kneeled in the turf at his feet, and waited for Paige to do the same.

"Now," said Paige, "What _matters_ have we to discuss that requires such privacy?"

Seph held Paige's gaze. "The terms of my allegiance."

Paige's face bent in confusion, "Terms?"

Seph continued. "Yes. A trade. Me for Ellen and Carson."

Paige laughed. "And what makes you think that I would agree to those terms?"

Seph did not smile. He shrugged. And then answered simply. "You need me."

Paige was tempted to laugh again, but something in the boy's tone stopped him. Instead he crumpled his brow, trying to piece it all together.

When he was unable to, he said, "Explain."

Seph's voice was clinical. "It's simple really. You haven't 'broken the Dragon,' as you say. She only obeys so that you won't hurt Ellen and Carson."

Seph expected Paige to go in a rage. Instead, his face was impassive.

He smiled slightly and then answered, "The result is the same. What is your point?"

"My point is, that leverage is only going to take you so far." Seph paused, letting this sink in. "You're hoping that you can force Madison to hurt me, or the rest of my family, in order to save Ellen and Carson. But, I'm telling you. She won't."

Paige's face was skeptical. "You're saying she'd let her friend and a little boy die?"

Seph's voice dropped to a deadened monotone, "No. I'm saying that she'd die instead."

Paige hadn't considered this – hadn't considered that his biggest weapon might turn on herself. He tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the shock off of his face.

Seph continued. "What I'm saying is that I can't let that happen."

Paige thought he heard a threat in Seph's voice, but when he looked at Seph's face, he saw no trace of it.

Paige was skeptical. "And what makes _your_ allegiance so valuable that I would give up two hostages?"

Seph paused for a moment before speaking in a rush. "My only concern is keeping Madison safe. Everything else is secondary."

He paused, collecting his thoughts, before continuing in profession tone. "That puts us at an intersection of interests. I see only two options. Either you accept my allegiance, allow me to assist in the protection of Madison, and agree to my terms. Or, you deny my request, attempt to coerce Madison into forcing me into submission to you – an act that would surely k-kill her," he stumbled over the word.

His eyes hardened and his voice became menacing. "And then, you've lost your greatest weapon, any hope of ruling the guilds, and any leverage you had on me and my family. Not to mention, you will have started a war with me the likes of which you've never seen before. And, I promise you, without Madison, _you are no match for me_." He let the threat linger.

Paige cleared his throat, trying to hide the sudden fear that had gripped him.

Seph returned to his detached tone, and said, "The choice is yours."

* * *

Paige rose and gestured for his guards and prisoners to return to the boundary line. Madison was at the point of collapse. She'd watched Seph sit and debate with Paige for what seemed like hours, all the while holding her breath for any sign that Seph was in danger.

_What is he doing_? she asked herself over and over. _Oh God, Seph. Don't do anything crazy…_ A hollowness in the pit of her stomach told her something bad was about to happen. She just didn't know what.

Seph gestured to Will and Fitch to come closer to the boundary. "Get them to the house right away," he whispered to Will. Will looked to Fitch, confusion evident on his face. Fitch shrugged back. He had no idea what Seph was talking about either.

His audience assembled, Paige spoke in a loud, clear voice.

"Friends, let us welcome to our ranks, Seph McCauley."

Madison gasped audibly and Ellen hissed, "What?"

A smattering of mutters and half-hearted claps filled the air. Paige continued, "And, in the spirit of friendship, I have decided a trade is in order." Paige strolled over to where Ellen stood.

"Guards, remove the shackles and cuffs," Paige ordered.

Ellen stood, dumbfounded. But then Paige was in her face, whispering for only her to hear. "We will see each other again, warrior. I promise," his faced turned up into a nasty sneer.

After her cuffs were removed and Carson's hand securely held in hers, Ellen accepted Waymaker from one of the guards and then muttered back to Paige. "And when that day comes, the last thing you'll see will be the point of my blade before I slit your throat with it." She threw him a vicious glare and then walked across the boundary into the Ghyll.

She turned back in time to see Paige walk back over the Seph and hook the sefa cuffs around his wrists. Just then the full impact of what had just happened hit her, and she shouted, "Seph! No!" She moved to charge back across the boundary, but Will's arms came around her waist, holding her back.

"Ellen, stop!" he whispered urgently. And with a quick nod from Seph, Will began to drag Ellen's struggling body back to the house, Fitch and Carson stumbling in their haste to keep up.

It took all the willpower Seph possessed to allow Paige to place the sefa cuffs on his wrists, but he held perfectly still, stared at Madison, assured himself that she was OK and that, somehow, they'd get out of this together.

As Paige stepped away from Seph, Seph rushed over to Madison, unable to keep his distance any longer. Tears were still streaming down her eyes, but when he wrapped her in his arms, he wiped the tears away with a soft hand.

"You crazy bastard," Maddison whimpered, her head buried in his shoulder. "What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed."

Seph smiled, nuzzling his face in her hair. "But we're together," he whispered, and kissed her hair. Madison smiled, laughing internally at his logic, but felt surprised that, despite it all, she did feel better now that he was near.

But her joy was short lived. In a sudden expression of malice, Paige activated both Seph's and Madison's sefa cuffs and pulled them apart. Seph struggled against the bonds for a moment, but his body quieted as the Ghyll filled with Paige's self-satisfied laughter.

"How sweet," he mocked. Then, laying a hot hand on Seph's shoulder, he led him away from Madison, and said, "Now, Seph, let me tell you a little about how things work around here."


	17. Solace

**Time for a short respite. **

**Enjoy~ Please Review!!**

**~TLD**

**Part Seventeen: Solace**

Ellen was torn between conflicting emotions as she was dragged to the mansion at Dragon's Ghyll. Shock over the events involving Seph coursed through her, turning her limbs to stone. She felt heavy, restrained. _What is going on?_ She thought desperately. Her brain struggled to put the pieces together.

Clouding her mind further was the dead weight that rested on her chest since she'd heard of Jack's death. Now that she was free, she was desperate for information about Jack. Did he die outside Paige's castle, or later? Where was his body now? Had they had a funeral for him? Had he said anything about her? Her mind whirled through questions too painful to put into words.

Instead she continued to shout about their current situation which was, overall, much more manageable.

"Will," she shouted, breaking free of his grasp. "Seriously, what the Hell is going on here? What was Seph thinking? Whose crack idea was this?" She was building up a head of steam, when Will cut her off.

"Woah, woah, Ellen, stop. Okay?" Will took a deep breath. "We don't know anymore about it than you do." He looked at Fitch who shrugged helplessly.

"It was Seph's plan." Fitch added, "That's all we know."

Ellen took a deep breath to continue explaining why it was the dumbest plan she'd ever heard of, but Will cut her off again.

"We wouldn't even have been here if Jack hadn't asked us to come along and escort Seph, just in case he needed us." Will sighed, but Ellen had stopped breathing.

"Yea. I guess Jack knows a bit more than we thought," Fitch added, throwing a sarcastic glance at Will, and not noticing that Ellen had frozen. "We'll ask him when we get back to the house." He looked to Ellen now, hoping that the promise of answers would placate her. Instead he found that all color had drained from her face. She looked close to fainting.

Will spoke, "Ellen? Are you OK?" his voice was hesitant.

Ellen swallowed, and then asked in a small, incredulous voice, "Jack is _alive?_"

Her face was so scared that Will almost cried at the sight of it. He grabbed her shoulders and nearly shouted in her face, "Oh my God, Yes!! Ellen, you didn't know? He's fine!" Will was smiling and shaking her as if trying to shake away the fear and sadness that had been crushing down on her for days.

Ellen took one fleeting look at the boys before Fitch said, "Go! We'll catch up with you." She smiled a tiny, tiny smile and then broke into a flat out sprint toward the mansion.

She burst through the doors, startling Linda and Leander, who were seated at the dining room table having breakfast. She wanted to greet each of her friends in turn, but at the moment she had only one goal.

She barely even acknowledged Linda and Hastings. She half smiled and nodded before asking, "Where is he?"

Leander couldn't even finished the words, "In his room," before Ellen was sprinting across wooden floors and up marble staircases.

"Ellen!" Linda gasped, her face caught between amazement and confusion. She jumped to her feet and turned to Leander, "She's back!" she exclaimed, her voice catching in her throat. Leander's somber face gave her pause, and her voice faded as her brow crumpled in confusion. "And the boys!" she exclaimed, a little tentatively, as she heard footsteps in the entryway.

Leander looked down at the table, not meeting Linda's eyes.

Linda swallowed hard, realizing that something was wrong. "Lee…" she began, "how…?"

Lee interrupted, "It was Seph's plan, dear," he said, gently.

Just then, Will, Fitch, and Carson came tromping into the dining room. Carson's mouth was hanging agape as he took in the lavish surroundings. Will and Fitch were breathing heavily from running after Ellen and the excitement around bringing her and Carson back to the house. When they entered the room, Linda's face was contorting in panic. Will felt his heart slowing and sinking dread filling his stomach.

_Oh no,_ he thought, _She doesn't know._ He looked up into Linda's face, but she had turned to face Leander.

"Lee? Where is my son?" Linda said, her voice barely above a whisper. When he didn't answer quickly enough, she shouted, "Leander, you tell me right now – WHERE IS SEPH?"

Just then, Grace and J.R. ran into the dining room, having seen Carson's form in the doorway as they walked down the hall.

"Carson!" J.R. cried happily.

Grace and J.R. tumbled into the room, oblivious to the growing tension. Grace charged right up to Carson, about to throw her arms around him, but froze suddenly as she felt everyone's eyes on her. Grace's eyes flicked from Carson's face to Linda's – as did everyone else's.

Linda felt like all the air in the room had disappeared. A lead weight pressed against her lungs and panic ran through her like a cold finger down her spine.

Leander stood slowly, bracing himself on the table. He took a deep breath and turned to Linda. He reached out to her, his eyes sad.

Linda's breath was coming in gasps and tears were welling in her eyes. Suddenly, she knew what Leander was going to say before he said it. She couldn't deal with hearing the words, so, before Leander could speak, she turned and, covering her mouth with her hand to stifle her sob, she raced out of the room.

In the silence left in her wake, Grace's soft voice asked, "What's wrong? What's going on?"

Leander sighed heavily. Will and Fitch looked to Leander for guidance. Finally he spoke.

"Will, Fitch? Get the kids some breakfast, would you? I'm going to go…" he gestured down the hall in the direction Linda had run and sighed again, his voice losing strength, "speak to Linda."

Will and Fitch nodded. Will noted Leander looked defeated – whether his feelings were triggered by Linda's grief or Seph's actions, Will didn't know.

"Come on guys," Fitch said, trying to put a cheerful tone in his voice, "let's get you some food, and then we can show Carson around the grounds. How's that sound?" he added, looking at J.R. Fitch had a great deal of practice with little kids, having four younger siblings at home, and so, the five of them tromped into the kitchen.

* * *

Jack heard her heavy footfalls. He'd recognize that gait anywhere. For a tiny second he took the time to mourn the capture of his cousin, to recognize his sacrifice, but when Ellen's form appeared in his doorway, his sadness melted away, awe and gratitude taking its place.

For half a second, the two warriors gazed at each other from opposite ends of the room, taking in the subtle differences from the last time they'd seen each other, tracing the new scars, bruises, and cuts with their eyes, taking inventory of the new injuries – assuring themselves that the other was indeed alive and whole.

But then Ellen gasped, "Jack" and threw herself bodily across the room, only to be deftly caught in Jack's arms, cushioning their fall to the bed.

"Ouch," they groaned simultaneously, as their crash landing had bumped their myriad injuries. But then they were laughing and kissing, crying and embracing, clinging to each other as if clinging to life itself.

They rolled and tumbled, a mixture of joy and disbelief driving them to hold each other close. They stared avidly at each other, as if they'd never really seen one another before, and as if they'd never get a chance to really look at each other again. Tears poured down Ellen's cheeks, but she brushed them angrily away – with her eyes blurry with tears, she couldn't see Jack. But soon, she couldn't stop the cascading tears and the sobs that were racking her chest.

Jack pulled her close to his chest, cradling her head over his heart, his lips pressed against her forehead.

"Shh," he crooned, "It's OK. We're here. We're OK. I've got you."

At the sound of Jack's voice, Ellen felt her tears slowing and her sobs calming. In a vague corner of her mind, she noticed that he sounded like he was reassuring himself as much as he was reassuring her.

She pulled back, just enough so she could look at his face, and whispered, her teary eyes locked on his, "I thought I'd lost you." Her voice broke on the word _lost_.

Jack's blue eyes broke at the sight of her heartbroken face. Her brown eyes were drowning in tears. As she spoke, he couldn't help but tighten his grip on her, panic of losing her breaking through yet again. He closed his eyes against his own welling tears.

"Me too," he managed, sobs threatening to break through his control.

"But," Ellen whispered, laying her head back on Jack's chest, "How?" She couldn't finish the sentence. Jack didn't know if she meant, "how did you survive?" or "how did they get her away from Paige?" or "how did they find her in the first place?" but it didn't matter. The answer was the same regardless.

"Seph," Jack said softly. He felt a heaviness settling in his chest. "It was all Seph," Jack continued, feeling a heavy determination filling him. His cousin was the only reason that that he and Ellen were alive and together.

Jack felt Ellen's body relaxing and her breathing evening out. _I bet she hasn't slept in days_, Jack thought. He wrapped her tighter in his arms, relishing the feeling of having her back and safe in his arms.

The time was coming to tell the others Seph's plan. The battle would soon be upon them, but, as the morning ticked away, Jack curled around his beloved, watching her beaten face ease into a look of contentment, counting her breaths as she slept, and savoring this glorious moment together, as if it were their last.

* * *

On the other side of the mansion, Linda sat on the edge of Seph's bed, running her hands over a few of his shirts that he'd left lying in his open suitcase. Over the sounds of her own heaving sobs, she couldn't hear the soft footsteps of Leander as he approached.

He lingered in the doorway, feeling heavy flashbacks to the last time he found Linda crying in Seph's room. He sighed, trying to push the images from his mind. _It's different this time_, he told himself. He wanted to believe it.

Slowly, Linda turned, sensing Lee's presence in the doorway. She pulled Seph's shirt up into her arms, cradling it to her chest. Her golden blue eyes were rimmed red around the edges, and her beautiful face was puffy from crying. The sight of her broke Lee's heart.

He sat down beside her, wrapping her in his arms. Together, they stared at Seph's shirt in her lap.

"How could you?" she accused, but her sad voice held little malice. "How could you do this to me? Send my son away…" her voice broke, and she laid her head heavily on Lee's shoulder. Lee marveled at Linda's ability to be mad at him, but also need his comfort in her sadness. He squeezed her tighter.

"You know this was not my doing," he whispered to her, soothingly.

At this, she buried her head against growing sobs, "But-you-let-him-go!" she bawled.

"Shh," Leander crooned, rocking her in his arms. "Our son is a man now." He sighed heavily; he hated to admit that fact. He stared in the empty room, "I couldn't have stopped him, if I'd tried," he murmured.

Linda lifted her head, temporarily shocked out her grief, "You didn't try to stop him?" she asked, genuinely curious. She couldn't imagine Leander willingly letting his son walk into a trap.

To this, Lee brought his eyes to Linda's and stared deeply into the blue/gold depths of her tear-laden eyes. Linda felt a warmth growing within her. Something about the way Lee looked at her always made her melt. He was so compelling, so achingly flawless, but when he looked at her like that, like it was she, not he, that was some dazzling treasure, Linda felt herself falling head over heels again and again.

"I couldn't stop him," Leander repeated, "because I would have done the exact same thing."

Ever so slowly, Leander brought his lips to Linda's, pressing softly. And though Linda's grief still stung at her heart, she felt the soft, subtle magic of Lee's love soothing her, and found, as she often had, solace in his arms – the horrors of the outside world temporarily kept at bay.


End file.
